ALFRED • HE 


/  L     V 

/-  (?  7 


THE  PRESIDENT 


"A    LITERARY    SENSATION." 

— 'Philadelphia  North  American. 

THE  BOSS 

A  Story  of  the  Inner  Life  of  N&w   York 

By  cAlfred   Henry   Lewis 


"The  most  complete  and 
remarkable  exposition  that 
has  yet  been  produced." 

— New  York  Times. 

"  Is  not  only  a  book  to  read, 
it  is  a  book  that  every  man 
who  has  an  interest  in  his 
country — and  in  himself  for 
that  matter— must  read/' 

—  Chicago  Evening  Post. 
I2mo,  cloth.    Illustrated  by  GUckens.    $1.50 

A.   S.  BARNES  C&  CO. 


<v< 


ACROSS  THK  SK.NATOK'S  DKSK 


I 'age  10 1 


The 

President 


A    Novel 

By 
ALFRED    HENRY    LEWIS 

jl 

Author    of    "THE    Boss,'* 
««WOLFVILLE  DAYS,"  ETC. 

Illustrated 


NEW    YORK 

A.  S.   BARNES   AND    COMPANY 
M  D  C  C  C  C  I  V 


Copyright,  1904, 

By  A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO. 

All  Rights  Reserved 

September 


To 
ETHEL  OVIATT  LEWIS 


914242 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  How  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  Woo   ....        1 

II.  How  A  PRESIDENT  is  BRED         ....      21 

III.  How  MR.   GWYNN   DINED  WITH  THE  HARLEYS      42 

IV.  How  A  SPEAKERSHIP  WAS  FOUGHT  FOR     .        .      64 
V.  How  RICHARD  WAS  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       .      87 

VI.  How  STORRI  HAD  A  VIVID  IMAGINATION    .        .     Ill 

VII.  How  RICHARD  GAINED  IN  KNOWLEDGE       .        .     136 

VIII.  How  STORRI  WOOED  MRS.   HANWAY-!!ARLEY    .     158 

IX.  How  STORRI  MADE  AN  OFFER  OF  His  LOVE     .     181 

X.  How  STORRI  PLOTTED  A  VENGEANCE         .        .    203 

XI.  How  MR.  HARLEY  FOUND  HIMSELF  A   FORGER    229 

XII !  How  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED       .        .        .    251 

XIII.  How  THE  SAN  REVE  GAVE  STORRI  WARNING  .    274 

XIV.  How  THEY  TALKED  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S    297 
XV.  How  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL  .        .        .322 

XVI.  How  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER    .        .        .344 

XVII.  How  NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  WAS  SOLD        .     368 

XVIII.  How  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD     .        .        .393 

XIX.  How  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL        .        .        .417 

XX.  How  STORRI  FOOLISHLY  WROTE  A  MESSAGE     .    442 

XXI.  How  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN       .        .        .        .465 

XXII.  How  THE  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER  STORRI    .        .    490 

XXIII.  How  RICHARD  AND  DOROTHY  SAILED  AWAY     .    507 


vii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

ACROSS  THE  SENATOR'S  DESK  ....  Frontispiece 
ONE  OF  THE  MOST  REVEREND  OP  THE  SENATE 

WALRUSES Facing  page  29 

AT  THE  DOOR  OF  THE  CAUCUS  ROOM  .  .  109 

IT  WAS  A  KIND  OF  PRODIGY  ....  "  326 

THAT  ARTIST  OF  PURSUIT  ....  347 

"Srr  DOWN  !"  THUNDERED  MR.  HARLEY  .  392 

HE  HELD  HER  CLOSE 397 

"!T  'LL  TAKE  Two  MONTHS  TO  DIG  THAT 

TUNNEL"  "            423 


THE  PRESIDENT 

CHAPTER  I 

HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO 

ON  this  faraway  November  morning,  it  being 
ten  by  every  steeple  clock  and  an  hour 
utterly  chaste,  there  could  have  existed  no 
impropriety  in  one's  having  had  a  look  into  the  rooms 
of  Mr.  Richard  Storms,  said  rooms  being  second-floor 
front  of  the  superfashionable  house  of  Mr.  Lorimer 
Gwynn,  Washington,  North  West.  Richard,  wrapped 
to  the  chin  in  a  bathrobe,  was  sitting  much  at  his  ease, 
having  just  tumbled  from  the  tub.  There  was  ever  a 
recess  in  Richard's  morning  programme  at  this  point 
during  which  his  breakfast  arrived.  Pending  that 
repast,  he  had  thrown  himself  into  an  easy-chair  before 
the  blaze  which  crackled  in  the  deep  fireplace.  The 
sudden  sharp  weather  made  the  fire  pleasant  enough. 

The  apartment  in  which  Richard  lounged,  and  the 
rooms  to  the  rear  belonging  with  it,  were  richly  ap 
pointed.  A  fortune  had  been  spilled  to  produce  those 
effects  in  velvets  and  plushes  and  pictures  and  bronzes 
and  crystals  and  chinas  and  lamps  and  Russia  leathers 
and  laces  and  brocades  and  silks,  and  as  you  walked 


4  THE  PRESIDENT 

esteem ;  his  being  English  did  the  rest,  since  in  the  Capi 
tal  of  America  it  is  better,  socially,  to  come  from  any 
where  rather  than  from  home.  In  addition  to  those 
advantages  of  Baron  Trenk's  house  and  an  English 
emanation,  Mr.  Gwynn  made  his  advent  indorsed  to  the 
Washington  banks  by  the  Bank  of  England;  also  he 
was  received  by  the  British  Ambassador,  on  whom  he 
made  a  call  of  respect  the  moment  he  set  foot  in  town. 

It  became  known  that  Mr.  Gwynn  was  either  widower 
or  bachelor ;  and  at  that,  coupled  with  his  having  taken 
a  large  house,  the  hope  crept  about  that  in  the  season 
he  would  entertain.  The  latter  thought  addressed  itself 
tenderly  to  the  local  appetite,  which  was  ready  to  be 
received  wherever  there  abode  good  cooks  and  sound 
wines.  Mr.  Gwynn,  it  should  be  mentioned,  was  duly 
elected  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan  Club — where  he 
never  went ;  as  was  likewise  Richard — who  was  seen  there 
a  great  deal. 

Richard  had  not  come  to  town  until  both  Mr.  Gwynn 
and  his  house  were  established.  When  he  did  appear, 
it  was  difficult  for  the  public  to  fix  him  in  his  proper 
place.  He  was  reserved  and  icily  taciturn,  and  that 
did  not  blandly  set  his  moderate  years ;  with  no  friends 
and  few  acquaintances,  he  seemed  to  prefer  his  own 
society  to  that  of  whomsoever  came  about  him. 

Who  was  he? 

What  was  he? 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO  5 

What  were  his  relations  with  Mr.  Gwynn? 

Surely,  Richard  could  be  neither  son  nor  nephew 
of  that  English  gentleman.  Richard  was  too  ob 
viously  the  American  of  full  blood;  his  high  cheek 
bones,  square  jaw,  and  lean,  curved  nose  told  of  two 
centuries  of  Western  lineage.  Could  it  be  that  Richard 
was  Mr.  Gwynn's  secretary?  This  looked  in  no  wise 
probable;  he  went  about  too  much  at  lordly  ease  for 
that.  In  the  end,  the  notion  obtained  that  Richard 
must  be  a  needy  dependent  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  his  per 
fect  clothes  and  the  thoroughbred  horse  he  rode  were 
pointed  to  as  evidences  of  that  gentleman's  generosity. 
Indeed,  Mr.  Gwynn  was  much  profited  in  reputation 
thereby. 

Richard,  whale  not  known,  was  not  liked.  He  wore 
the  air  of  one  self-centered,  and  cold  to  all  judgments 
except  his  own.  This  last  makes  no  friends,  but  only 
enemies  for  him  whose  position  is  problematical.  Rich 
ard's  pose  of  insolent  indifference  would  have  been  beau 
tiful  in  a  gentleman  who  counted  his  fortune  by  millions  ; 
in  a  dollarless  beggar  who  lived  off  alms  it  was  detest 
able.  Wherefore,  the  town,  so  far  as  Richard  encoun 
tered  it,  left  our  silent,  supercilious  one  to  himself, 
which  neglect  dovetailed  with  his  humor  and  was  the 
precise  lonely  thing  he  sought.  This  gave  still  further 
edge  to  the  public's  disregard ;  no  one  likes  you  to  accept 
with  grace  what  is  intended  for  punishment. 


6  THE  PRESIDENT 

Matzai  carried  away  the  breakfast  tray,  and  Richard 
lighted  a  cigar.  Matzai  returned  and  stood  mute  inside 
the  door,  awaiting  new  commands.  Richard  pointed 
through  the  cigar-smoke  to  the  clock — one  of  those 
soundless,  curious  creatures  of  brass  and  glass  and 
ivory  which  is  wound  but  once  in  four  hundred  days, 
and  of  which  the  hair-hung  pendulum  twists  and  turns 
and  does  not  swing. 

"  In  an  hour !     Eleven  o'clock !  "  said  Richard. 

At  the  risk  of  shaking  him  in  general  standing  it 
should  be  called  to  your  notice  that  Richard  preceded 
breakfast  with  no  strong  waters.  Richard  would  drink 
nothing  more  generous  than  coffee,  and,  speaking  in 
the  sense  limited,  tobacco  was  his  only  vice.  Perhaps 
he  stuck  to  cigars  to  retain  his  hold  on  earth,  and  avoid 
translation  before  his  hour  was  ripe. 

It  was  no  pale  morality  that  got  between  Richard  and 
the  wine  cup.  In  another  day  at  college  he  had  emptied 
many.  But  early  in  his  twenties,  Richard  discovered 
that  he  carried  his  drink  uneasily ;  it  gave  a  Gothic 
cant  to  his  spirit,  which,  under  its  warm  spell,  turned 
warlike.  Once,  having  sat  late  at  dinner — this  was  in 
that  seminary  town  in  France  where  he  attended  school 
—he  bestrode  a  certain  iron  lion,  the  same  strange  to 
him  and  guarding  the  portals  of  a  public  building. 
Being  thus  happily  placed,  he  drew  two  huge  American 
six-shooters,  whereof  his  possession  was  wrapped  in 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO  7 

mystery  even  to  himself,  and  blazed  vacuously,  yet 
ferociously,  at  the  moon.  Spoken  to  by  the  constabu 
lary  who  came  flying  to  the  spot,  Richard  replied  with 
acrimony. 

"  If  you  interfere  with  me,"  remarked  Richard  on 
that  explosive  occasion,  addressing  the  French  con 
stables,  "  I'll  buy  your  town  and  burn  it."  The  last 
with  a  splendid  disdain  of  limitations  that  was  con 
genital. 

Exploits  similar  to  the  above  taught  Richard  the 
futility  of  alcoholic  things,  and  thereupon  he  cultivated 
a  Puritan  sobriety  upon  coffee  and  tobacco. 

Richard  cast  the  half-burned  cigar  into  the  fire. 
Stepping  to  the  mantel,  he  took  from  it  a  small  metal 
casket,  builded  to  hold  jewels.  What  should  be  those 
gems  of  price  which  the  metal  box  protected?  Richard 
did  not  strike  one  as  the  man  to  nurse  a  weakness  for 
barbaric  adornment.  A  bathrobe  is  not  a  costume 
calculated  to  teach  one  the  wearer's  fineness.  To  say 
best,  a  bathrobe  is  but  a  savage  thing.  It  is  the  garb 
most  likely  to  obscure  and  set  backward  even  a  Walpole 
or  a  Chesterfield  in  any  impression  of  gentility.  In 
spite  of  this  primitive  regalia,  however,  Richard  gave 
forth  an  idea  of  elevation,  and  as  though  his  ancestors 
in  their  civilization  had  long  ago  climbed  above  a  level 
where  men  put  on  gold  to  embellish  their  worth.  What, 
then,  did  that  casket  of  carved  bronze  contain? 


8  THE  PRESIDENT 

Richard  took  from  its  velvet  interior  the  heel  of  a 
woman's  shoe  and  kissed  it.  It  was  a  little  kissablc 
heel,  elegant  in  fashion ;  one  could  tell  how  it  belonged 
aforetime  to  the  footwear  of  a  beautiful  girl.  Perhaps 
this  thought  was  aided  by  the  reverent  preoccupation 
of  Richard  as  he  regarded  it,  for  he  set  the  boot-heel 
on  the  table  and  hung  over  it  in  a  rapt  way  that  had 
the  outward  features  of  idolatry.  It  was  right  that 
he  should ;  the  little  heel  spoke  of  Richard's  first  strong 
passion. 

You  will  retrace  the  year  to  the  10th  of  June. 
Richard,  after  roving  the  Eastern  earth  for  a  decade, 
had  just  returned  to  his  own  land,  which  he  hardly  knew. 
Throughout  those  ten  years  of  long  idling  from  one 
European  city  to  another,  had  Richard  met  the  woman 
he  might  love,  he  would  have  laid  siege  to  her,  con 
quered  her,  and  brought  her  home  as  his  wife.  But 
his  instinct  was  too  tribal,  too  American.  Whether  it 
were  Naples  or  Paris  or  Vienna  or  St.  Petersburg  or 
Berlin,  those  women  whom  he  met  might  have  pleased 
him  in  everything  save  wedlock.  In  London,  and  for 
a  moment,  Richard  saw  a  girl  he  looked  at  twice.  But 
she  straightway  drank  beer  with  the  gusto  of  a  barge 
man,  and  the  vision  passed. 

It  was  the  evening  after  his  return,  and  Richard  at 
the  Waldorf  sat  amusing  himself  with  those  tides  of 
vulgar  humanity  that  ebb  and  flow  in  a  stretch  of  garish 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO  9 

corridor  known  as  Peacock  Lane.  Surely  it  was  a 
hopeless  place  wherein  to  seek  a  wife,  and  Richard  had 
no  such  thought.  But  who  shall  tell  how  and  when 
and  where  his  fate  will  overtake  him?  Who  is  to  know 
when  Satan — or  a  more  benevolent  spirit — will  be 
hiding  behind  the  hedge  to  play  good  folk  a  marriage 
trick?  And  Richard  had  been  warned.  Once,  in  Cal 
cutta,  price  one  rupee,  a  necromancer  after  fullest  read 
ing  of  the  signs  informed  him  that  when  he  met  the 
woman  who  should  make  a  wife  to  him,  she  would  come 
upon  him  suddenly.  Wherefore,  he  should  have  kept  a 
brighter  watch,  expecting  the  unexpected. 

Richard's  gaze  went  following  two  rustical  people— 
clearly  bride  and  groom.  In  a  cloudy  way  he  loathed 
the  groom,  and  was  foggily  wondering  why.  His 
second  thought  would  have  told  him  that  the  male  of 
his  species — such  is  his  sublime  egotism — feels  cheated 
with  every  wedding  not  his  own,  and,  for  an  earliest  im 
pulse  on  beholding  a  woman  with  another  man,  would 
tear  her  from  that  other  one  by  force.  Thus  did  his 
skinclad  ancestors  when  time  was. 

However,  Richard  had  but  scanty  space  wherein 
either  to  enjoy  his  blunt  hatred  of  that  bridegroom  or 
theorize  as  to  its  roots.  His  ear  caught  a  muffled 
scream,  and  then  down  the  wide  staircase  in  front  of 
him  a  winsome  girl  came  tumbling. 

With  a  dexterity  born  of  a  youth  more  or  less  replete 


10  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  football,  Richard  sprang  forward  and  caught  the 
girl  in  his  arms.  He  caught  and  held  her  as  though 
she  were  feather-light;  and  that  feat  of  a  brutal 
strength,  even  through  her  fright,  worked  upon  the 
saved  one,  who,  remembering  her  one  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds,  did  not  think  herself  down  of  thistles. 

"  Are  you  hurt?  "  asked  Richard,  still  holding  her 
lightly  close. 

Richard  looked  at  the  girl ;  black  hair,  white  skin, 
lashes  of  ink,  eyes  of  blue,  rose-leaf  lips,  teeth  white  as 
rice,  a  spot  of  red  in  her  cheeks — the  last  the  fruit  of 
fright,  no  doubt.  He  had  never  seen  aught  so  beauti 
ful  !  Even  while  she  was  in  his  arms,  the  face  fitted  into 
his  heart  like  a  picture  into  its  frame,  and  Richard 
thought  on  that  prophet  of  Calicut. 

"Are  you  injured?"  he  asked  again. 

"  Thanks  to  you — no,"  said  the  girl. 

With  a  kind  of  modest  energy,  she  took  herself  out 
of  his  arms,  for  Richard  had  held  to  her  stoutly,  and 
might  have  been  holding  her  until  now  had  she  not  come 
to  her  own  rescue.  For  all  that,  she  had  leisure  to 
admire  the  steel-like  grasp  and  the  deep,  even  voice. 
Her  own  words  as  she  replied  came  in  gasps. 

"  No,"  she  repeated,  "  I'm  not  injured.  Help  me  to 
a  seat." 

The  beautiful  rescued  one  limped,  and  Richard  turned 
white. 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO          11 

"  Your  ankle !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  No ;  my  heel,"  she  retorted  with  a  little  flutter  of  a 
laugh.  "  My  French  heel  caught  on  the  stair ;  it  was 
torn  away.  No  wonder  I  limp  !  " 

Then  came  the  girl's  mother  and  called  her 
"  Dorothy." 

Richard,  who  was  not  without  presence  of  mind, 
climbed  six  steps  and  secretly  made  prize  of  the  baby 
boot-heel.  Perhaps  you  will  think  he  did  this  on  the 
argument  by  which  an  Indian  takes  a  scalp.  Whatever 
the  argument,  he  placed  the  sweet  trophy  over  that 
heart  which  held  the  picture  of  the  girl ;  once  there,  the 
boot-heel  showed  bulgingly  foolish  through  his  coat. 

Richard  returned  to  the  mother  and  daughter;  the 
latter  had  regained  her  poise.  He  introduced  himself: 
"  Mr.  Richard  Storms."  The  mother  gave  him  her 
card:  "  Mrs.  John  Harley."  She  added: 

"  My  name  is  Hanway-Harley,  and  this  is  my  daugh 
ter,  Dorothy  Harley.  Hanway  is  my  own  family 
name ;  I  always  use  it."  Then  she  thanked  Richard  for 
his  saving  interference  in  her  child's  destinies.  "  Just 
to  think !  "  she  concluded,  and  a  curdling  horror  gath 
ered  in  her  tones.  "  Dorothy,  you  might  have  broken 
your  nose ! " 

Richard  ran  a  glance  over  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 
She  was  not  coarse,  but  was  superficial — a  woman  of 
inferior  ideals.  He  marveled  how  a  being  so  fine  as  the 


12  THE  PRESIDENT 

daughter  could  have  had  a  no  more  silken  source,  and 
hugged  the  boot-heel.  The  daughter  was  a  flower,  the 
mother  a  weed.  He  decided  that  the  superiority  of 
Dorothy  was  due  to  the  father,  and  gave  that  absent 
gentleman  a  world  of  credit  without  waiting  to  make 
his  acquaintance. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  said  that  she  lived  in  Wash 
ington.  Where  did  Mr.  Storms  live? 

"  My  home  has  been  nowhere  for  ten  years,"  returned 
Richard.  Then,  as  he  looked  at  Dorothy,  while  his 
heart  took  a  firmer  grip  on  the  picture:  "  But  I  shall 
live  in  Washington  in  a  few  months." 

Dorothy,  the  saved,  beneath  whose  boot-heel  beat 
Richard's  heart,  looked  up,  and  in  the  blue  depths — so 
Richard  thought — shone  pleasure  at  the  news.  He 
could  not  be  certain,  for  when  the  blue  eyes  met  the 
gray  ones,  they  fell  to  a  furtive  consideration  of  the 
floor. 

"  You  are  to  take  a  house  in  Washington,"  said 
Richard  to  Mr.  Gwynn  an  hour  later. 

Mr.  Gwynn  bowed. 

You  who  read  will  now  come  back  to  that  snow-filled 
day  in  November.  Richard  relockcd  his  dear  boot-heel 
in  the  casket ;  eleven  and  Matzai  had  entered  the  room 
together.  Matzai  laid  out  Richard's  clothes,  down  to 
pin  and  puff  tie.  Richard  shook  off  his  bathrobe  skin 
and  shone  forth  in  a  sleeveless  undershirt  and  a  pair  of 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO          13 

those  cotton  trousers,  cut  short  above  the  knee,  which 
dramatic  usage  ascribes  to  fishermen  and  buccaneers. 

As  Richard  stood  erect,  shoulders  wide  as  a  viking's, 
chest  arched  like  the  deck  of  a  whale-back,  he  might  have 
been  a  model  for  the  Farnese  Hercules,  if  that  demigod 
were  slimmed  down  by  training  and  ten  years  off  his  age. 
He  of  Farnese  should  be  about  forty,  if  one  may  go  by 
looks,  while  Richard  was  but  thirty.  Also,  Richard's 
arms,  muscled  to  the  wrists  and  as  long  as  a  Pict's,  would 
have  been  out  of  drawing  from  standpoints  of  ancient 
art.  One  must  rescue  Richard's  head;  it  was  not  that 
nubbin  of  a  head  which  goes  with  the  Farnese  one. 
Moreover,  it  showed  wisest  balance  from  base  to  brow; 
with  the  face  free  of  beard  and  mustache,  while  the  yel 
low  hair  owned  no  taint  of  curl — altogether  an  Ameri 
can  head  on  Farnese  shoulders  refined. 

Richard  made  no  speed  with  his  dressing.  What 
with  refusing  several  waistcoats — a  fastidiousness  which 
opened  the  slant  eyes  of  Matzai,  being  unusual — and 
what  with  pausing  to  smoke  a  brooding  cigar,  it  stood 
roundly  twelve  before  he  was  ready  for  the  street.  One 
need  not  call  Richard  lazy.  He  was  no  one  to  retire  or 
to  rise  with  the  birds ;  why  should  he  ?  "  Early  to  bed 
and  early  to  rise  "  is  a  tradition  of  the  copybooks.  It 
did  well  when  candlelight  was  cheap  at  a  dollar  the 
dozen,  but  should  not  belong  to  a  day  of  electricity  no 
dearer  than  the  sun. 


14  THE  PRESIDENT 

Before  going  out,  Richard  crossed  to  a  writing  cab 
inet  and  pressed  a  button,  the  white  disk  whereof  showed 
in  its  mahogany  side.  It  was  not  the  bell  he  used  for 
the  wheat-hued  Matzai,  and  owned  a  note  peculiar  to 
itself.  As  though  in  response  came  Mr.  Gwynn,  irre 
proachable,  austere. 

Upon  the  advent  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  one  might  have 
observed  sundry  amazing  phenomena,  innocent  at  that. 
Mr.  Gwynn  did  not  sit  down,  but  stood  in  the  middle  of 
the  room.  On  the  careless  other  hand,  Richard  did  not 
arise  from  the  chair  into  which  he  had  flung  himself, 
but  sat  with  his  hat  on,  puffing  blue  wreaths  and  tap 
ping  his  foot  with  a  rattan. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,"  quoth  Richard,  "  you  will  catch  the 
four-o'clock  limited  to  New  York.  Talon  &  Trehawke, 
Attorneys,  Temple  Court,  have  on  sale  a  majority  of 
the  Stock  of  the  Daily  Tory .  Buy  it ;  notify  those  in 
present  charge  of  the  editorial  and  business  depart 
ments  of  the  new  proprietorship.  There  will  be  no 
changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  paper  so  far 
as  refers  to  New  York.  You  are  to  say,  however, 
that  you  will  give  me  charge  in  Washington. 
Talon  &  Trehawke  can  put  you  in  control,  and  forty- 
eight  hours  should  be  enough  to  carry  out  my  plans. 
The  balance  of  the  stock  you  will  buy  up  at  your  leisure. 
This  is  Tuesday ;  have  the  bureau  here  ready  for  me  by 
Thursday  evening." 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO          15 

Mr.  Gwynn  inclined  his  head. 

"  Can  you  give  me,  sir,  some  notion  of  what  Talon  & 
Trehawke  are  to  have  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Gwynn. 

"  Their  letter  addressed  to  you — here  it  is — says  that 
sixty  per  cent,  of  the  stock  can  be  had  for  two  millions 
eight  hundred  thousand." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  and  Mr.  Gwynn  bowed  deeply. 

Richard  pulled  on  his  gloves  to  depart,  whereat  Mr. 
Pickwick  yelped  frantically  from  his  cushion.  Richard 
tapped  Mr.  Pickwick  with  the  lacquered  rattan. 

"  Old  man,"  said  Richard,  "  I  am  going  to  take  a 
look  at  the  lady  I  love."  Mr.  Pickwick  moaned  queru 
lously,  while  Richard  sought  the  street. 

Richard,  the  day  before,  dispatched  a  note  and  a 
card  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  had  been  told  in 
reply  that  he  might  call  to-day  at  three.  Richard  de 
cided  to  repair  to  the  club,  and  wait  for  three  o'clock. 

Richard,  during  his  week  in  Washington,  had  found 
a  deserted  corner  in  the  club  and  pre-empted  it.  At 
those  times  when  he  honored  the  club  with  his  presence, 
he  occupied  this  vantage  point.  From  it  he  was  given 
both  a  view  of  the  street  and  a  fair  survey  of  the  apart 
ment  itself.  No  one  approached  him;  his  atmosphere 
was  repellant ;  beyond  civil  nods,  curtailed  to  the  last 
limit  of  civility,  his  intercourse  with  his  fellows  had  not 
advanced. 

On  this  afternoon  as  Richard  smoked  a  solitary  cigar 


16  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  reviewed  the  thin  procession  of  foot  passengers 
trudging  through  the  snow  beneath  his  window,  he  was 
attracted  by  the  loud  talk  of  a  coterie  about  a  table. 
The  center  of  the  group  was  Count  Storri — a  giant 
Russ.  This  Storri  did  not  belong  to  the  Russian  lega 
tion,  did  not  indeed  reside  in  town,  and  had  been  vouched 
into  the  club  by  one  of  his  countrymen.  He  had  onyx 
eyes,  with  blue-black  beard  and  mustaches  which  half 
covered  his  face,  and  hair  as  raven  as  his  beard.  Also 
he  valued  himself  for  that  a  favorite  dish  with  him  was 
raw  meat  chopped  fine  with  peppers  and  oil. 

Storri's  education — which  was  wide — did  not  suffice 
to  cover  up  in  him  the  barbarian,  videlicet,  the  Tartar 
—which  was  wider ;  and  when  a  trifle  uplifted  of  drink, 
it  was  his  habit  to  brag  profoundly  in  purring,  snarl 
ing,  half-challenging  tones.  Storri  boasted  most  of  his 
thews,  wrhich  would  not  have  disgraced  Goliath.  He 
was  at  the  moment  telling  a  knot  of  gaping  youngsters 
of  monstrous  deeds  of  strength.  Storri  had  crushed 
horseshoes  in  his  hand ;  he  had  rolled  silver  pieces  into 
bullets  between  thumb  and  finger. 

"  See,  you  children,  I  will  show  what  a  Russian  can 
do  !  "  cried  Storri. 

Storri  came  over  to  the  fireplace,  the  rest  at  his  heels. 
Taking  up  the  poker — a  round  half-inch  rod  of 
wrought  iron — he  seized  it  firmly  by  one  end  with  his 
left  hand  and  with  the  right  wound  it  twice  about  his 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO          17 

left  arm.  The  black  spiral  reached  from  hand  to 
elbow;  when  he  withdrew  his  arm  the  club  poker  was  a 
Brobdingnagian  corkscrew. 

The  youngsters  stared  wonder-bitten.  Then  a 
mighty  chatter  of  compliments  broke  forth,  and  Storri 
swelled  with  the  savage  glory  of  his  achievement. 

Richard,  the  somber,  who  did  not  like  noise,  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  Storri,  by  the  fireplace,  caught  the 
shrug  and  found  it  offensive.  He  made  towards  Rich 
ard,  and  offered  the  right  hand,  his  white  teeth  gleam 
ing  in  a  sinister  way  through  the  fastnesses  of  his  beard. 

"  Will  you  try  grips  with  me?  "  cried  Storri  loudly. 
"  Will  you  shake  hands  Russian  fashion  ?  " 

"  No,"  retorted  Richard,  all  ice  and  unconcern.  "  I 
will  not  shake  your  hand  Russian  fashion." 

Storri  broke  into  an  evil  grin  that  made  him  look 
like  a  black  panther. 

"  Some  day  you  must  put  your  fingers  into  that 
trap,"  said  he,  opening  and  closing  his  broad  hand. 

Richard  making  no  return,  Storri  and  the  others  went 
back  to  their  decanters. 

Richard  might  have  said,  and  would  have  believed, 
that  he  did  not  like  Storri  because  of  a  Siberian  rudeness 
and  want  of  breeding.  It  is  to  be  thought,  however, 
that  his  antipathy  arose  rather  from  having  heard 
the  day  before  Storri's  name  coupled  with  that  of 
Dorothy  Harley.  The  Russ  was  a  caller  at  the  Harley 


18  THE  PRESIDENT 

house,  it  seemed,  and  rumor  gave  it  that  he  and  Mr. 
Harley  were  together  in  speculations.  At  that  Rich 
ard  hated  Storri  with  the  dull  integrity  of  a  healthy, 
normal  animal,  just  as  he  would  have  hated  any  man 
who  raised  his  eyes  to  Dorothy  Harley ;  for  you  are  to 
know  that  Richard  was  in  a  last  analysis  even  more 
savage  than  was  Storri  himself,  and  withal  as  jeal 
ously  hot  as  a  coal  of  fire.  Presently  Storri  departed, 
and  Richard  forgot  him  in  a  reverie  of  smoke. 

It  stood  the  quarter  of  three,  and  Richard  took  up 
his  walk  to  the  Harleys'.  It  was  no  mighty  journey, 
being  but  two  blocks. 

In  the  Harley  drawing  room  whom  should  Richard 
meet  but  Storri.  The  Russ  was  on  the  brink  of 
departure.  At  that  meeting  Richard's  face  clouded. 
Dorothy  was  alone  with  Storri;  her  mother  had  been 
called  temporarily  from  the  room.  At  sight  of 
Dorothy's  flower-like  hand  in  Storri's  hairy  paw,  Rich 
ard's  eyes  turned  jade. 

"  Mr.  Storms,"  said  Dorothy,  as  Richard  paused  in 
the  door,  "  permit  me  to  present  Count  Storri." 

"  Ah !  "  whispered  Storri,  beneath  his  breath,  "  see 
now  how  my  word  comes  true ! " 

With  that  he  put  out  his  hand  like  a  threat. 

Storri's  exultation  fell  frost-nipped  in  greenest  bud. 
It  was  as  though  some  implacable  destiny  had  seized  his 
hand.  In  vain  did  Storri  put  forth  his  last  resource  of 


HOW  RICHARD  BEGAN  TO  WOO          19 

strength — he  who  crushed  horseshoes  and  twisted 
pokers!  Like  things  of  steel  Richard's  fingers  closed 
grimly  and  invincibly  upon  those  of  Storri.  The  Rus 
sian  strove  to  recover  his  hand ;  against  the  awful  force 
that  held  him  his  boasted  strength  was  as  the  strength 
of  children. 

Storri  looked  into  Richard's  eyes ;  they  were  less  fero 
cious,  but  infinitely  more  relentless  than  his  own.  There 
was  that,  too,  in  the  other's  look  which  appalled  the 
Tartar  soul  of  Storri — something  in  the  drawn  brow, 
the  eye  like  agate,  the  jaw  as  iron  as  the  hand!  And 
ever  more  and  a  little  more  that  fearful  grip  came 
grinding.  The  onyx  eyes  glared  in  terror;  the  tor 
tured  forehead,  white  as  paper,  became  spangled  with 
drops  of  sweat. 

There  arose  a  smothered  feline  screech  as  from  a  tiger 
whose  back  is  broken  in  a  dead-fall.  Richard  gave  his 
wrist  the  shadow  of  a  twist,  and  Storri  fell  on  one  knee. 
Then,  as  though  it  were  some  foul  thing,  Richard  tossed 
aside  Storri's  hand,  from  the  nails  of  which  blood  came 
oozing  in  black  drops  as  large  as  grapes. 

"What  was  it?"  gasped  Dorothy,  who  had  stood 
throughout  the  duel  like  one  planet-struck ;  "  what  was 
it  you  did?" 

"  Storri  on  his  knee  ?  "  asked  Richard  with  a  kind 
of  vicious  sweetness.  There  was  something  arctic, 
something  remorselessly  glacial,  in  the  man.  It  caught 


20  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  held  Dorothy,  entrancing  while  it  froze.  "  Storri 
on  his  knee? "  repeated  Richard,  looking  where  his 
adversary  was  staining  a  handkerchief  with  Tartar 
blood.  "  It  was  nothing.  It  is  a  way  in  which  Rus 
sians  honor  me — that  is,  Russians  whom  I  do  not  like !  " 


CHAPTER  II 

HOW    A    PRESIDENT    IS    BRED 

MR.    PATRICK    HENRY    HANWAY,    a 
Senator   of   the   United   States,   had   the 
countenance    of   a   prelate    and  the   con 
science  of   a  buccaneer.     His   grandfather — it  was   at 
this     old     gentleman,     for    lack     of     information,    he 
was    compelled    to    stop    his    ancestral    count — was    a 
farmer  in  his  day.     Also,  personally,  he  had  been  the 
soul  of  ignorance  and  religion,   and  of   a  narrowness 
touching    Scriptural    things    that    oft    got    him    into 
trouble. 

Grandfather  Hanway  read  his  Bible  and  believed  it. 
He  held  that  the  earth  was  flat ;  that  it  had  four  corners ; 
and  that  the  sun  went  around  the  earth.  He  replied 
to  a  neighbor  who  assured  him  that  the  earth  revolved, 
by  placing  a  pan  of  water  on  his  gate-post.  Not  a 
drop  was  spilled,  not  a  spoonful  missing,  in  the  morn 
ing.  He  showed  this  to  the  astronomical  neighbor  as 
rcfutatory  of  that  theory  of  revolution. 

"  For,"  said  Grandfather  Hanway,  with  a  logical 
directness  which  among  the  world's  greatest  has  more 
than  once  found  parallel,  "  if  the  y'earth  had  turned 

21 


22  THE  PRESIDENT 

over  in  the  night  like  you  allow,  that  water  would  have 
done  run  out." 

When  the  astronomical  one  undertook  a  counter 
argument,  Grandfather  Hanway  fell  upon  him  with  the 
blind,  unreasoning  fury  of  a  holy  war  and  beat  him 
beyond  expression.  After  that  Grandfather  Hanway 
was  left  undisturbed  in  his  beliefs  and  their  demonstra 
tions,  and  tilled  his  sour  acres  and  begat  a  son. 

The  son,  Hiram  Hanway,  was  sly  and  lazy,  and  not 
wanting  in  a  gift  for  making  money  that  was  rather 
the  fruit  of  avarice  than  any  general  length  and 
breadth  and  depth  of  native  wit.  Having  occasion  to 
visit,  as  a  young  man,  the  little  humdrum  capital  of  his 
State,  he  stayed  there,  and  engaged  in  the  trade  of 
lobbyist  before  the  name  was  coined.  He,  too,  married, 
and  had  children — Patrick  Henry  Hanway  and  Barbara 
Hanway.  These  his  offspring  were  given  a  peculiar 
albeit  not  always  a  sumptuous  bringing  up. 

When  Patrick  Henry  Hanway  was  about  the  age 
of  Oliver  Twist  at  the  time  Bill  Sykes  shoved  him 
through  the  window,  Hiram  Hanway  caused  him  to  be 
appointed  page  in  the  State  Senate.  There,  for  eight 
years,  he  lived  in  the  midst  of  all  that  treason  and  men 
dacity  and  cowardice  and  rapacity  and  dishonor  which 
as  raw  materials  are  ground  together  to  produce  laws 
for  a  commonwealth.  He  learned  early  that  the  ten 
commandments  have  no  bearing  on  politics  and  legisla- 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  23 

tion,  and  was  taught  that  part  of  valor  which,  basing 
itself  on  greed  and  cunning  and  fear,  is  called  discretion, 
and  consists  in  first  running  from  an  enemy  and  then 
hiding  from  pursuit.  Altogether,  those  eight  years 
might  have  been  less  pernicious  in  their  influence  had 
Patrick  Henry  Hanway  passed  them  with  the  chain 
gang,  and  he  emerged  therefrom,  to  cast  his  first  vote, 
treacherous  and  plausible  and  boneless  and  false — as 
voracious  as  a  pike  and  as  much  without  a  principle. 

Patrick  Henry  Hanway  did  not  follow  in  the  precise 
footsteps  of  his  sire.  He  resolved  to  make  his  money 
by  pulling  and  hauling  at  legislation;  but  the  methods 
should  be  changed.  He  would  improve  upon  his  father, 
and  instead  of  pulling  and  hauling  from  the  lobby,  he 
would  pull  and  haul  from  within.  The  returns  were 
surer;  also  it  was  easier  to  knead  and  mold  and  bake 
one's  loaf  of  legislation  as  a  member,  with  a  seat  in 
Senate  or  Assembly,  than  as  some  unassigned  John 
Smith,  who,  with  a  handful  of  bribes  and  a  heart  full 
of  cheap  intrigue,  must  do  his  work  from  the  corridor. 
!A  legislative  seat  was  a  two-edged  sword  to  cut  both 
ways.  You  could  trade  with  it,  using  it  as  a  bribe, 
bartering  vote  for  vote;  that  was  one  edge.  Or  you 
could  threaten  with  it,  promising  nay  for  nay,  and  thus 
compel  some  member  to  save  your  bill  to  save  his  own ; 
that  was  the  other  edge.  A  mere  bribe  from  the  lobby 
owned  but  the  one  edge ;  it  was  like  a  cavalry  saber ;  you 


24  THE  PRESIDENT 

might  make  the  one  slash  at  a  required  vote,  with 
as  many  chances  of  missing  as  of  cutting  it  down. 
Every  argument,  therefore,  pointed  to  a  seat;  whereat 
Patrick  Henry  Hanway  bent  himself  to  its  acquirement, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  was  sworn  to  uphold 
the  law  and  the  Constitution  and  told  to  vote  in  the  As 
sembly.  In  that  body  he  flourished  for  ten  years,  while 
his  manhood  mildewed  and  his  pockets  filled. 

The  native  State  of  Patrick  Henry  Hanway  was  a 
moss-grown  member  of  the  republic  and  had  been  one  of 
the  original  thirteen.  It  possessed  with  other  impedi 
menta  a  moss-grown  aristocracy  that  borrowed  money, 
devoured  canvasbacks,  drank  burgundy,  wore  spotless 
tow  in  summer,  clung  to  the  duello,  and  talked  of  days 
of  greatness  which  had  been  before  the  war.  It  carried 
moss-grown  laws  upon  its  statute  books  which  arranged 
for  the  capture  of  witches,  the  flogging  of  Quakers  at 
a  cart's  tail,  the  boring  of  Presbyterian  tongues  with 
red-hot  irons,  and  the  punishment  of  masters  who  op 
pressed  their  hapless  slaves  with  terrapin  oftener  than 
three  times  a  week.  However,  these  measures,  excellent 
doubtless  in  their  hour,  together  with  the  aristocracy  re 
ferred  to,  had  fallen  to  decay. 

The  moss-grown  aristocracy  were  aware  in  a  lifeless, 
lofty  way  of  Patrick  Henry  Hanway,  and  tolerating 
while  they  despised  him  as  one  without  an  origin,  per 
mitted  him  his  place  in  the  legislature.  Somebody 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  25 

must  go,  and  why  not  Patrick  Henry  Hanway?  They, 
the  aristocracy,  would  there  command  his  services  in  what 
legislation  touching  game,  and  oysterbeds,  and  the  fore 
closure  of  mortgages  they  required,  and  that  was  all  their 
need.  The  supple  Patrick  Henry  Hanway  thanked  the 
aristocracy  for  the  honor,  took  the  place,  and  carried 
out  their  wishes  for  patrolling  oysterbeds,  protecting 
canvasbacks,  and  preventing  foreclosures. 

While  these  conditions  of  mutual  helpfulness  sub 
sisted,  and  Patrick  Henry  Hanway  kept  his  hat  off  in 
the  presence  of  his  patrons,  nothing  could  be  finer  than 
that  peace  which  was.  But  time  went  on,  and  storms 
of  change  came  brewing.  Patrick  Henry  Hanway,  ex 
panding  beyond  the  pent-up  Utica  of  a  State  Capitol, 
decided  upon  a  political  migration  to  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States. 

When  this  news  was  understood  by  men,  the  shocked 
aristocracy  let  their  canvasbacks  grow  cold  and  their 
burgundy  stand  untastcd.  With  horrified  voice  they 
commanded  "  No ! "  The  United  States  Senate  had 
been  ever  reserved  for  gentlemen,  and  Patrick  Henry 
Hanway  was  a  clod.  The  fiat  went  forth;  Patrick 
Henry  Hanway  should  not  go  to  the  Senate;  a  wide- 
eyed  patrician  wonder  was  abroad  that  he  should  have 
had  the  insolent  temerity  to  harbor  such  a  dream — he 
who  was  of  the  social  reptilia  and  could  not  show  an 
ancestor  who  had  owned  a  slave  1 


26  THE  PRESIDENT 

This  purple  opposition  did  not  surprise  the  astute 
Patrick  Henry  Hanway;  it  had  been  foreseen,  and  he' 
met  it  with  prompt  money.  He  had  made  his  alliances 
with  divers  railway  corporations  and  other  big  com 
panies,  and  set  in  to  overturn  that  feudalism  in  politics 
which  had  theretofore  been  dominant.  The  aristocrats 
felt  the  attack  upon  their  caste;  they  came  forth  for 
that  issue  and  the  war  wagged. 

But  the  war  was  unequal.  The  aristocrats,  who,  like 
the  Bourbons,  had  learned  nothing,  forgotten  nothing, 
plodded  with  horseback  saddle-bag  politics.  Patrick 
Henry  Hanway  met  them  with  modern  methods  of  tele 
graph  and  steam.  Right  and  left  he  sowed  his  gold 
among  the  peasantry.  In  the  end  he  went  over  his  noble 
enemies  like  a  train  of  cars  and  his  legislature  sent  him 
into  Washington  by  a  vote  of  three  to  one.  He  had 
been  there  now  twelve  years  and  was  just  entering  upon 
his  third  term.  Moreover,  he  had  fortified  his  position ; 
his  enemies  were  now  powerless  to  do  him  harm ;  and  at 
the  time  this  story  finds  him  he  had  constructed  a 
machine  which  rendered  his  hold  upon  his  State  as 
unshakable  as  Gibraltar's  famous  rock.  Patrick  Henry 
Hanway  might  now  be  Senator  for  what  space  he 
pleased,  and  nothing  left  for  that  opposing  nobility  but 
to  glare  in  helpless  rancor  and  digest  its  spleen. 

When  Patrick  Henry  Hanway  came  to  Washington 
he  was  unhampered  of  even  a  shadow  of  concern  for  any 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  27 

public  good.  His  sole  thought  was  himself ;  his  patriot 
ism,  if  he  ever  possessed  any,  had  perished  long 
before.  Some  said  that  its  feeble  wick  went  flickering 
out  in  those  earlier  hours  of  civil  war.  Patrick  Henry 
Hanway,  rather  from  a  blind  impression  of  possible 
pillage  than  any  eagerness  to  uphold  a  Union  which 
seemed  toppling  to  its  fall,  enlisted  for  ninety  days.  As 
he  plowed  through  rain  and  mud  on  the  painful  occa 
sion  of  a  night  march,  he  addressed  the  man  on  his  right 
in  these  remarkable  words : 

"  Bill,  this  is  the  last  d d  time  I'll  ever  love  a 

country ! " 

And  it  was. 

The  expletive,  however,  marked  how  deep  dwelt  the 
determination  of  Patrick  Henry  Hanway ;  for  even  as  a 
young  man  he  had  taught  himself  a  suave  and  cautious 
conversation,  avoiding  profanity  as  of  those  lingual 
vices  that  never  made  and  sometimes  lost  a  dollar. 

The  Senate  of  this  republic,  at  the  time  when  Patrick 
Henry  Hanway  was  given  his  seat  therein,  was  a  thing 
of  granite  and  ice  to  all  newcomers.  The  oldsters  took 
no  more  notice  of  the  novice  in  their  midst  than  if  he 
had  not  been,  and  it  was  Senate  tradition  that  a  member 
must  hold  his  seat  a  year  before  he  could  speak  and 
three  before  he  would  be  listened  to.  If  a  man  were  cast 
away  on  a  desert  island,  the  local  savage  could  be  relied 
upon  to  meet  him  on  the  beach  and  welcome  him  with 


28  THE  PRESIDENT 

either  a  square  meal  or  club.  Not  so  in  the  cold  cus 
toms  of  the  Senate.  The  wanderer  thrown  upon  its 
arctic  shores  might  starve  or  freeze  or  perish  in  what 
way  he  would ;  never  an  oldster  of  them  all  would  make 
a  sign.  Each  sat  in  mighty  state,  like  some  ancient 
walrus  on  his  cake  of  ice,  and  made  the  new  one  feel  his 
littleness.  If  through  ignorance  or  worse  the  new  one 
sought  to  be  heard,  the  old  walruses  goggle-eyed  him 
ferociously.  If  the  new  one  persisted,  they  slipped 
from  their  cakes  of  ice  and  swam  to  the  seclusion  of  the 
cloakrooms,  leaving  the  new  one  talking  to  himself. 
This  snub  was  commonly  enough  to  cause  the  collapse 
of  the  new  one,  after  which  the  old  walruses  would  re 
turn  to  their  cakes  of  ice. 

Senator  Hanway — one  should  give  him  his  title  when 
now  he  has  earned  it — was  not  inclined  to  abide  by  those 
gag  traditions  that  ruled  the  Senate  beaches.  He  was 
supple,  smooth,  apologetic,  deprecatory,  and  his  nature 
was  one  which  would  sooner  run  a  mile  than  fight  a 
moment.  For  all  that  he  was  wise  in  his  generation, 
fearing  no  one  who  could  not  reach  him  for  his  injury. 
He  did  not,  for  instance,  fear  the  Senate  walruses,  gog 
gle-eying  him  from  their  ice  cakes.  They  could  do  him 
no  harm ;  he  did  not  take  his  seat  by  their  permission. 
Upon  deliberate  plan,  therefore,  Senator  Hanway  had 
not  been  in  his  place  a  fortnight  before  he  got  the  floor 
on  an  appropriation,  and  began  to  voice  his  views. 


K  THK   Movr  KEVKKKND  OF  THE  SKNATK  \\.\i. RUSES 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  29 

The  walruses  at  first  goggle-eyed  him  in  wrathful 
amazement ;  but  he  kept  on.  Then,  as  was  their  habit, 
they  set  sail  for  the  cloakrooms,  waving  condemnatory 
flippers. 

Senator  Hanway  had  thought  of  this,  and  the  cloak 
room  move  did  not  disconcert  him.  He  seized  on 
one  of  the  most  reverend  of  the  Senate  walruses,  one  fes 
tooned  with  the  very  seaweed  of  Senate  tradition,  and, 
casting  him,  as  it  were,  on  the  coals  of  his  hot  rhetoric, 
proceeded  to  roast  him  exhaustively.  The  cloakroom 
walruses  smelled  the  odor  of  burning  blubber  and  re 
turned  eagerly  to  their  cakes  of  ice,  for  there  is  nothing 
so  pleasing  to  your  true  walrus  as  the  spectacle  of  a 
brother  walrus  being  grilled.  It  was  in  time  understood 
that  if  the  walruses  placed  an  affront  upon  Senator 
Hanway  he  would  assail  them  singly  or  in  the  drove. 
Then  the  walruses  made  their  peace  with  him  and  ad 
mitted  him  to  fellowship  before  his  time ;  for  your  wal 
rus  cannot  carry  on  a  war  and  is  only  terrible  in  appear 
ance. 

Now,  when  the  seal  of  silence  was  taken  from  Senator 
Hanway  and  he  found  himself  consented  to  as  a  full- 
grown  walrus  possessed  of  every  right  of  the  Senate 
beaches,  he  became  deferential  to  his  fellow  Senators. 
He  curried  their  favor  by  pretending  to  consult  with 
them,  personally  and  privately,  on  every  Senate  ques 
tion  that  arose.  He  could  be  a  great  courtier  when  he 


30  THE  PRESIDENT 

pleased  and  had  a  genius  for  flattery,  and  now  that  his 
right  to  go  without  a  gag  was  no  longer  disputed  he 
devoted  himself  to  healing  what  wounds  he  had  dealt  the 
vanity  of  the  oldsters.  By  this  he  grew  both  popular 
and  powerful ;  as  a  finale  no  man  of tener  had  his  Senate 
way. 

Senator  Hanway,  modestly  and  unobtrusively,  did 
sundry  Senate  things  that  stamped  him  a  leader  of  men. 
He  bore  the  labor  of  a  staggering  filibuster,  and  more 
than  any  other  prevented  a  measure  that  was  meant  for 
his  party's  destruction.  In  the  lists  of  that  filibuster  he 
met  the  champion  of  the  opposition — a  Senator  of 
pouter-pigeon  characteristics,  more  formidable  to  look 
upon  than  to  face — and,  forensically  speaking,  beat 
him  like  a  carpet. 

On  another  day  when  one  of  his  party  associates  was 
to  be  unseated  by  so  close  a  vote  that  a  single  member 
of  the  Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections  would  de 
termine  the  business  either  way,  it  was  Senator  Hanway, 
no  one  knew  how,  who  in  manner  secret  captured  that 
member  from  the  enemy.  The  captured  one  voted 
sheepishly  in  committee  and  continued  thus  sheepish  on 
the  open  Senate  floor,  although  a  beautiful  .woman 
smiled  and  beamed  upon  him  from  the  gallery  as  women 
smile  and  beam  when  granted  favors. 

It  was  during  Senator  Hanway's  second  term,  how 
ever,  that  he  accomplished  the  work  which  placed  him  at 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  31 

his  party's  fore  and  confirmed  him  as  its  chief.  The  Sen 
ate,  following  a  certain  national  election,  fell  to  be  a  tie. 
The  party  of  Senator  Hanway  still  had  control  of  the 
committees  and  generally  of  the  Senate  organization; 
but  that  election  had  sent  to  be  the  Senate's  presiding 
officer  a  Vice-President  who  belonged  with  the  opposi 
tion.  On  a  tie,  Senator  Hanway's  party  would  find 
defeat  by  the  vote  of  that  new  Vice-President. 

It  was  then  the  pouter-pigeon  chieftain  moved  that 
the  Senate  organization  be  given  over  to  him  and 
his  fellows.  The  motion  would  seem  to  settle  it.  The 
vote  on  the  floor  would  be  equal,  and  the  sagacious 
pouter-pigeon  reckoned  on  the  new  Vice-President  to 
decide  for  him  and  his.  The  party  colleagues  of  Sen 
ator  Hanway,  many  of  them  four  terms  old  in  Senate 
mysteries,  were  eaten  of  despair;  they  saw  no  gateway 
of  escape.  The  pouter-pigeon  would  take  possession, 
remake  the  committees,  and,  practically  speaking, 
thereby  remake  the  legislation  of  that  Congress. 

At  this  crisis,  Senator  Hanway  took  down  the.jC.an- 
stitiition  and  showed  by  that  venerable  document  how 
the  power  of  the  Vice-President  went  no  farther  than 
deciding  ties  on  legislative  questions ;  that  when  the 
business  at  bay  was  a  matter  of  Senate  organization,  he 
had  no  more  to  say  than  had  the  last  appointed  mes 
senger  on  the  gallery  doors.  The  situation,  in  short, 
did  not  present  a  tie,  for  the  settlement  of  which  the 


32  THE  PRESIDENT 

Vice-Presidential  decision  was  possible ;  therefore, 
Senate  things  must  remain  as  they  then  were. 

Senator  Hanway's  reading  of  Vice-Presidential 
powers  was  right,  as  even  the  opposition  confessed;  he 
saved  the  Senate  and  thereby  the  nation  to  his  party, 
and  his  rule  was  established  unchallenged  over  his  peo 
ple,  his  least  opinion  becoming  their  cloud  and  their  pil 
lar  of  fire  to  guide  them  day  and  night.  He  was  made 
far  and  away  the  dominant  figure  of  the  Senate. 

Finding  himself  thus  loftily  situated  and  his  hands 
so  clothed  with  power,  Senator  Hanway,  looking  over 
the  plains  of  national  politics,  conceived  the  hour  ripe 
for  another  and  a  last  step  upward.  For  twelve  years 
a  White  House  had  been  his  dream ;  now  he  resolved  to 
seek  its  realization.  From  the  Senate  he  would  move 
to  a  Presidency ;  a  double  term  should  close  his  career 
where  Washington  and  Jefferson  and  Jackson  and  other 
great  ones  of  the  past  closed  theirs. 

True,  Senator  Hanway  must  win  his  party's  nomina 
tion  ;  and  it  was  here  he  took  counsel  with  his  Senate 
colleagues.  Being  consulted,  the  word  of  those  grave 
ones  proved  the  very  climax  of  flattery.  Senators  Vice 

and  Price  and  Dice  and  Ice,  and  Stuff  and  Bluff  and 
4, 

Gruff  and  Muff,  and  Loot  and  Coot  and  Hoot  and  Toot, 

and  Wink  and  Blink  and  Drink  and  Kink — statesmen 
all  and  of  snow-capped  eminence  in  the  topography  of 
party — endorsed  Senator  Hanway's  ambition  without  a 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  33 

wrinkle  of  distrust  to  mar  their  brows  or  a  moment  lost 
in  weighing  the  proposal.  The  Senate  became  a  Han- 
way  propaganda.  Even  the  opposition,  so  far  as 
slightly  lay  with  them,  were  pleasantly  willing  to  help 
the  work  along,  and  Senator  Hanway  blushed  to  find 
himself  a  Senate  idol.  By  the  encouragement  which 
his  colleagues  gave  him,  and  the  generous  light  of  it, 
Senator  Hanway  saw  the  way  clear  to  become  the  choice 
of  his  party's  national  convention.  But  he  must  work. 

It  was  in  that  prior  day  when  Senator  Hanway  served 
his  State  in  the  legislature  that  he  wedded  Dorothy 
Harley.  It  is  to  be  assumed  that  he  loved  her  dearly; 
for  twelve  years  later  when  she  died  his  grief  was  like 
a  storm,  and  for  the  rest  of  his  days  he  would  as  soon 
think  of  a  top  hat  without  a  crown  as  without  a  mourn 
ing  band. 

When  Senator  Hanway  married  Dorothy  Harley,  her 
brother,  John  Harley,  married  Barbara  Hanway. 
Whether  this  exchange  of  sisters  by  the  two  was  meant 
for  retort  or  for  compliment  lived  a  point  of  dispute — 
without  being  settled — among  the  friends  of  the  high 
contracting  parties  for  many,  many  months. 

Not  that  anyone  suffered  by  these  double  nuptials; 
the  families  owned  equal  social  standing,  having  none 
at  all,  and  were  evenly  balanced  in  fortune,  since  neither 
had  a  dollar.  Both  Senator  Hanway  and  John  Harley 
had  their  fortunes  to  make  when,  each  with  the  other's 


34  THE  PRESIDENT 

sister  on  his  arm,  they  called  in  the  preacher  that  day ; 
and  after  the  wedding  they  set  about  the  accumulation 
of  those  fortunes. 

In  a  half-sense  the  two  became  partners;  for  while  a 
lawmaker  can  be  highly  useful  to  a  man  of  energy  out 
side  the  halls  of  legislation,  the  converse  is  every  inch  as 
true.  They  must  be  folk  of  course  who  know  and  trust 
one  another;  and,  aside  from  marrying  sisters — a  fact 
calculated  to  quickly  teach  two  gentlemen  the  worst 
and  the  best  about  each  other — John  Harley  and  Sen 
ator  Hanway  had  been  as  Damon  and  Pythias  for  a 
decade.  Not  that  either  would  have  died  for  the  other, 
but  he  would  have  lied  and  plotted  and  defrauded  and 
stopped  at  nothing  short  of  murder  for  him,  which, 
considering  the  money  appetites  of  the  pair  and  those 
schemes  they  had  for  feeding  them,  should  be  vastly 
more  important. 

When  Senator  Hanway  came  to  Washington,  John 
Harley  and  his  wife,  Barbara  Hanway-Harley  as  she 
preferred  to  style  herself,  came  with  him.  Senator 
Hanway  made  his  home  with  the  Harley s,  when  now 
he  was  a  widower;  and  the  trio,  with  the  daughter, 
Dorothy — named  for  the  Senator's  wife — who  lost  her 
boot  heel  when  Richard  lost  his  heart,  made  up  a  family 
of  four,  and  took  their  place  in  Capital  annals. 

John  Harley  had  a  red  and  jovial  face  that  promised 
conviviality.  It  was  the  custom  with  John  Harley  to 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  35 

slap  a  new  acquaintance  on  the  shoulder  and  hail  him  as 
"  Old  Man."  He  was  long  of  body,  short  of  leg, 
apoplectic  as  to  neck — a  girthy,  thick,  explosive,  boister 
ous  gentleman,  who  could  order  a  good  dinner  and  could 
eat  one.  He  could  find  you  a  fair  bottle  of  wine,  and 
then  assist  in  emptying  it.  He  aimed  at  the  open  and 
frank  and  generous,  and  was  willing  you  should  think 
him  of  high  temper,  one  who  would  on  provocation  deal 
a  knock-down  blow. 

Senator  Hanway  was  his  opposite,  being  of  no  more 
color  than  a  monk  and  of  manners  as  precisely  soft  as 
a  lady's.  He  never  raised  his  voice,  never  lost  his  tem 
per;  he  strove  for  an  accurate  gentility — to  give  the 
lie  to  noble  foes  at  home — and  far  from  owning  any 
ferocities  of  fist,  retorted  to  a  heated  person  who 
charged  him  with  flat  falsehood  by  a  mere  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  and  a  simple: 

"  I  refuse  to  discuss  it,  sir !  " 

And  all  with  a  high  air  that  left  his  opponent  gasp 
ing  and  helpless  and  floundering  with  the  feeling  that 
he  had  been  somehow  most  severely  and  completely,  not 
to  say  most  righteously,  rebuked. 

There  you  have  vague  charcoal  sketches  of  Senator 
Hanway  and  John  Harley ;  you  may  note  as  wide  a  dif 
ference  between  the  two  as  lies  between  warclubs  and 
poisons.  And  yet  they  fitted  with  each  other  like  the 
halves  of  a  shell.  Also  they  were  masters  of  intrigue; 


36  THE  PRESIDENT 

only  John  Harley  intrigued  like  a  Wolsey  and  Senator 
Han  way  like  a  Richelieu. 

John  Harley  played  the  business  man,  and  was  rough 
and  plain  and  blunt — a  man  of  no  genius  and  with  loads 
of  common  sense.  He  made  a  specialty  of  unpalatable 
truths  and  discarded  sentiment.  Indeed,  he  was  so  good 
a  business  man  that  he  got  possession  of  a  rotund  inter 
est  in  a  group  of  coal  mines  without  the  outlay  of  a  dol 
lar,  and  later  became  the  owner  of  sundry  sheaves  of 
railway  stocks  on  the  same  surprising  terms. 

Not  that  the  coal  and  the  railway  companies  lost  by 
John  Harley.  When  it  was  known  that  he  possessed 
an  interest  in  the  mines,  certain  armor  plate  mills  and 
shipbuilding  concerns,  as  well  as  nineteen  steamboat 
lines,  came  forward  to  buy  the  coal.  As  for  the  rail 
way,  whereas  prior  to  John  Harley's  introduction  as 
shareholder  and  director  it  could  get  no  consideration 
in  the  way  of  freights  from  those  giant  corporations 
which  have  to  do  with  beef  and  sugar  and  oil — it  being 
both  slow  and  crooked  as  a  railroad — thereafter  it  was 
given  all  it  could  haul  at  rates  even  with  the  best,  and 
its  prosperity  became  such  that  fifty-five  points  were 
added  to  the  quoted  value  of  its  stock. 

It  is  possible  that  John  Harley's  nearness  to  Senator 
Hanway  had  something  to  do  with  founding  for  him  a 
railway  and  a  coal-mine  popularity.  The  vote  of  a  Sen 
ator  may  be  important  to  armor  plate  and  shipbuilding 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  37 

concerns ;  as  much  might  be  said  of  companies  that  deal 
in  beef  and  sugar  and  oil.  The  action  of  a  Senator 
may  even  become  of  moment  to  a  steamship  line.  The 
last  was  evidenced  on  a  day  when  those  nineteen  sud 
denly  refused  to  purchase  further  coal  from  the  Harley 
mines.  They  were  buying  five  millions  of  tons  a  year, 
those  five  millions  finding  their  way  to  the  sea  over  the 
railway  of  which  John  Harley  was  a  director  and  in 
which  he  owned  those  sheaves  of  stocks,  and  a  fortune 
rose  or  fell  by  that  refusal.  The  steamboats  said  they 
would  have  no  more  Harley  coal;  it  was  stones  and 
slates,  they  said. 

Senator  Hanway  at  once  introduced  a  bill,  with  every 
chance  of  its  passage,  which  provided  for  a  tariff  reduc 
tion  of  ten  per  cent,  ad  valor  em  o~i  goods  brought  to  this 
country  in  American  ships.  Since  the  recalcitrant  nine 
teen  were,  to  the  last  rcbellionisli  among  them,  foreign 
ships,  flying  alien  flags,  this  threatened  preference  of 
American  ships  took  away  their  breath.  The  owners  of 
those  lines  went  black  with  rage;  however,  their  anger 
did  not  so  obscure  them  but  what  they  saw  their  penitent 
way  to  readopt  the  Harley  coal,  and  with  that  the  min 
ing  and  carriage  and  sale  of  those  annual  five  millions 
went  forward  as  before.  The  Hanway  bill,  which  prom 
ised  such  American  advantages,  perished  in  the  pigeon 
holes  of  the  committee ;  but  not  before  the  press  of  the 
country  had  time  to  ring  with  the  patriotism  of  Senator 


38  THE  PRESIDENT 

Hanway,  and  praise  that  long-headed  statesmanship 
which  was  about  to  build  up  a  Yankee  merchant  marine 
without  committing  the  crime  of  subsidy. 

John  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway  at  the  time  when 
Dorothy  suffered  that  momentous  mishap  of  the  heel, 
were  both  enrolled  by  popular  opinion  among  the  coun 
try's  millionaires.  Each  had  been  the  frequent  subject 
of  articles  in  the  magazines,  recounting  his  achieve 
ments  and  offering  him  to  the  youth  of  America  as  a 
"  Self-Made  Man,"  whose  example  it  would  be  wise  to 
steer  by.  In  the  Presidential  plans  of  Senator  Han 
way,  John  Harley  nourished  a  flaming  interest.  With 
his  pale  brother-in-law  in  the  White  House,  what  should 
better  match  the  genius  of  John  Harley  than  the  role  of 
Warwick.  He  would  pose  as  a  President-maker.  When 
the  President  was  made,  and  the  world  was  saying 
"  President  Hanway,"  that  man  should  be  dull  indeed 
who  did  not  look  upon  John  Harley  as  the  power  behind 
the  curtain.  He  would  control  the  backstairs ;  he  would 
wear  a  White  House  pass-key  as  a  watch-charm !  John 
Harley  as  well  as  Senator  Hanway  had  his  dreams. 

Both  Dorothy  and  her  mother  were  profound  par 
tisans  of  Senator  Hanway.  Dorothy  loved  her  "  Uncle 
Pat  "as  much  as  she  loved  her  father.  Dorothy,  who 
could  weigh  a  woman, — being  of  the  sex, — might  have 
felt  occasional  misgivings  as  to  her  mother.  She 
might  now  and  again  observe  an  insufficiency  that  was 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  59 

almost  the  deficient.  But  of  her  father  and  "  Uncle 
Pat  "  she  never  possessed  a  doubt ;  the  one  was  the  best 
and  the  other  the  greatest  of  men. 

Dorothy  was  so  far  justified  of  her  affection  that  to 
both  John  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway  she  stood  for 
the  model  of  all  that  was  good  and  beautiful  in  life. 
Hard  and  keen  and  never  honest  with  the  world  at  large, 
the  love  of  those  two  for  the  girl  Dorothy  was  gold  it 
self.  Neither  said  "  No "  to  Dorothy ;  and  neither 
made  a  dollar  without  thinking  how  one  day  it  would 
go  to  her.  She  was  the  joint  darling ;  they  would  divide 
her  between  them  as  the  recipient  of  their  loves  while 
they  lived  and  their  fortunes  when  they  died.  And 
many  thought  Dorothy  lucky  with  two  such  fathers 
to  cherish  her,  two  such  men  to  conquer  wealth  where 
with  to  feather-line  her  future. 

John  Harley  made  no  secret  of  Senator  Hanway's 
Presidential  prospects,  and  if  he  did  not  talk  them  over 
with  his  helpmeet,  he  listened  while  she  talked  them  over 
with  him.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  who  insisted  more 
vigorously  than  ever  upon  the  hyphenation,  would  of 
necessity  preside  over  the  White  House.  She  saw  and 
said  this  herself.  The  Harley  family  would  move  to 
the  White  House.  Anything  short  of  that  would  be 
preposterous. 

Under  such  conditions  and  facing  such  a  future,  the 
tremendous  responsibilities  of  which  already  cast  their 


40  THE  PRESIDENT 

shadow  on  her,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  driven  to 
take  an  interest  in  her  brother's  canvass  ;  and  she  took  it. 
She  gave  her  husband,  John  Harley,  all  sorts  of  advice, 
and  however  much  it  might  fail  in  quality,  no  one  would 
have  said  that  in  the  matter  of  quantity  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  did  not  heap  the  measure  high.  Senator  Han- 
way  himself  she  was  not  so  ready  to  approach.  He 
never  mentioned  the  question  of  his  Presidential  hopes 
and  fears,  holding  to  the  position  of  one  who  is  sought. 
Under  the  circumstances,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  felt  that 
it  would  be  gross  and  forward  to  force  the  subject  with 
her  brother,  although  she  was  certain  that  her  silence 
meant  unmeasured  loss  to  him.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
was  one  of  those  excellent  women  whereof  it  is  the  good 
fortune  of  the  world  to  have  such  store,  who  cherish  the 
knowledge,  not  always  shared  by  others,  that  whatever 
they  touch  they  benefit  and  wherever  they  advise  they 
improve. 

"  Barbara,"  said  Senator  Hanway,  on  the  morning 
of  that  day  when  Richard  meddled  so  crushingly  with 
Storri's  hand,  "  Barbara,  there  is  a  matter  in  which  you 
might  please  me  very  much." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  looked  across  the  table  at  her 
brother,  for  the  four  were  at  breakfast. 

"  I  promise  in  advance,"  said  she. 

"  There  is  a  gentleman,"  went  on  Senator  Hanway, 
"  I  met  him  for  a  moment — a  Mr.  Gwynn.  You  ladies 


HOW  A  PRESIDENT  IS  BRED  41 

know  how  to  arrange  these  things.  I  want  to  have  him 
— not  too  large  a  party,  you  know — have  him  meet 
Gruff  and  Stuff  and  two  or  three  of  my  Senate  friends. 
He  is  vastly  rich,  with  tremendous  railway  connections. 
I  need  not  explain ;  but  conditions  may  arise  that  would 
make  Mr.  Gywnn  prodigiously  important — extremely 
so.  I  don't  know  how  you'll  manage ;  he  is  exceedingly 
conventional — one  of  your  high-bred  English  who 
must  be  approached  just  so  or  they  take  alarm.  But 
I'm  sure,  Barbara,  you'll  bring  the  matter  about ;  and  I 
leave  it  to  you  with  confidence." 


CHAPTER  III 

HOW    Mfl.    GWYNN    DINED    WITH    THE    HAKLEYS 

A"  man  who  says  that  he  is  a  gentleman  is  not 
a  gentleman.  .A  gentleman  no  more  tells  you 
that  he  is  a  gentleman  than  a  brave  man  tells 
you  he  is  brave.  Gentility  is  a  quality  which  the  posses 
sor  never  seeks  to  establish  as  his  own  by  word  of  mouth ; 
he  leaves  it  to  inference  and  the  rule  has  no  exception. 
This  brilliant  speechlessness  arises  not  through  modesty, 
but  ignorance.  However  clearly  gentility  reveals  itself 
to  others,  he  who  possesses  it  has  no  more  knowledge  on 
that  faultless  point  than  have  your  hills  of  the  yellow 
gold  they  hold  within  their  breasts. 

Storri  was  one  who  went  far  and  frequently  out  of 
his  conversational  way  to  assure  you  that  he  was  a  gen 
tleman.  Though  he  did  no  more  than  just  recount 
how  he  gave  his  seat  to  a  woman  in  a  car,  or  passed  the 
salt  at  dinner,  or  made  a  morning  call,  somewhere  in 
the  narrative  you  were  sure  to  hear  that  he  was  "  a  gen 
tleman,"  or  "  a  Russian  gentleman,  "  commonly  the  lat 
ter;  and  he  always  accompanied  the  news  with  a 
straightening  of  his  heavy  shoulders  and  a  threatening 

42 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       43 

pull  at  his  mustache  as  though  he  expected  to  find  his 
word  disputed  and  planned  a  terrible  return. 

It  could  not  be  called  Storri's  fault  that  it  was  not 
three  hundred  years  since  his  forebears  wore  sheepskins, 
carried  clubs,  and  made  a  fire  by  judiciously  rubbing  one 
stick  against  another.  None  the  less,  this  nearness  to 
a  stone  age  left  him  barbarous  in  his  heart;  and  the 
layer  of  civilization  that  was  upon  him  was  not  a  layer, 
but  a  polish — a  sheen,  and  neither  so  thick  nor  so  tan 
gible  as  moonshine  on  a  lake.  The  savageries  of  Rich 
ard  were  quite  as  vivid  as  Storri's,  perhaps ;  but  at  least 
they  had  been  advantageously  hidden  beneath  a  top- 
dressing  of  eleven  civilizing  centuries  instead  of  three; 
and  those  eight  extra  centuries  made  all  the  difference 
in  life.  They  gave  Richard  steadiness  and  self-control ; 
for  the  first  separation  between  civilization  and  barbar 
ism  lies  in  this,  that  a  civilized  man  is  more  readily 
quieted  after  a  stampede  than  is  your  barbarous  one. 
Also  he  is  not  so  wide  open  to  original  surprise. 

Wherefore,  when  Richard  and  Storri  stood  glaring 
at  one  another  after  the  episode  of  the  hands,  Richard 
had  vastly  the  better  of  Storri,  who  fell  into  a  three- 
ply  mood  of  amazement,  fright,  and  rage.  Finally, 
Storri  seemed  to  mutter  threats  while  he  retreated ;  and 
at  the  last  got  himself  out  of  the  Harley  front  door  in 
rather  an  incoherent  way.  It  was  understood  that  he 
mumbled  "  Good-afternoon !  "  to  Dorothy ;  and  that  "  he 


44  THE  PRESIDENT 

would  talk  with  him  again,"  to  Richard;  and  all  as  he 
found  his  hat  with  his  left  hand,  the  right  meanwhile 
wrapped  in  a  handkerchief  which  was  a  smudge  of 
blood.  It  could  not  be  described  as  a  graceful  exit  and 
had  many  of  the  features  of  a  rout ;  but  it  was  effective, 
and  took  Storri  successfully  into  the  street.  Dorothy, 
still  transfixed,  turned  with  round  eyes  to  Richard: 

"  What  was  it  you  did  ?  "  she  asked  again. 

"  It  was  nothing,"  replied  Richard  with  a  shrug. 
"  Or  if  anything,  then  a  piece  of  primitive  sarcasm. 
Really,  I'm  sorry,  since  you  were  here;  but  I  had  no 
choice." 

"  Will  there  be  a  duel?  "  gurgled  Dorothy,  catching 
her  breath. 

Dorothy,  among  other  valuable  ideas  derived  from 
novels,  had  gained  a  middle-age  impression  that  made 
flashing  blades  and  gaping  wounds  a  romantic  prob 
ability. 

"  Storri  is  not  so  self-sacrificing,"  returned  Richard 
with  a  grin,  "  and  I  am  much  too  modern."  Then  in 
a  bantering  tone :  "  How  much  better  was  the  old  day 
when  men  might  differ  nobly  foot  to  foot,  with  the  fair 
lady  to  the  victor  and  a  funeral  to  the  vanquished  as  the 
natural  upshot.  It  is  too  bad!  In  the  name  of  pro 
gress  we  have  come  too  far  and  thrown  away  too 
much!" 

It  was  among  the  marvels  how  Richard  changed.     As 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       45 

he  talked  with  Dorothy  those  eyes,  late  flint,  became 
tender  and  laughingly  honest  in  a  fashion  good  to  see. 
He  appeared  younger  by  half,  for  anger  is  ancient  and 
piles  on  the  years. 

"  Really,  Miss  Harley,"  continued  Richard,  with  a 
heroic  determination  to  change  the  subject,  "  I  haven't 
as  yet  paid  my  respects  to  you.  Your  mother  said  I 
might  call.  She  was  very  kind !  "  And  here  Richard 
pressed  the  little  hand  in  that  one  which  had  so  discour 
aged  Storri,  while  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  suddenly  swept 
into  the  room  as  if  "  Mother  "  were  her  cue. 

"  Mamma,"  cried  Dorothy,  presenting  Richard, 
"  this  is  Mr.  Storms.  You  remember ;  he  saved  my — 
my  nose." 

Certainly  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  remembered.  She 
recalled  the  event  in  a  manner  superbly  amiable  and  con 
descending. 

"  And  you  told  us  then,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley, 
"  that  you  would  presently  dwell  in  Washington.  Is  it 
your  plan  to  make  the  town  your  permanent  resi 
dence?  " 

"  My  plans  depend  on  the  plans  of  others,  madam. 
I  have  become  chained  to  their  chariot  and  cannot  call 
myself  free."  Here  Richard  looked  audaciously  sly  at 
Dorothy,  who  interested  herself  with  certain  flowers  that 
stood  in  the  window. 

"  Ah !  I   see,"   returned   Mrs.   Hanway-Harley,   who 


46  THE  PRESIDENT 

did  not  see  at  all.  "  You  mean  Mr.  Gwynn."  She 
had  heard  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  so  far  as  the  town  knew  that 
personage,  from  her  husband.  "  But  you  said 
6  others'?" 

"  Yes,  madam ;  besides  Mr.  Gwynn,  there  are  Matzai 
and  Mr.  Pickwick."  Then,  responding  to  Mrs.  Han- 
way-Harley's  inquiring  brows,  Richard  went  forward 
with  explanations.  "  Matzai  is  my  valet,  while  Mr.  Pick 
wick  is  a  terrier  torn  by  an  implacable  hatred  of  rats ; 
which  latter  is  the  more  strange,  madam,  for  I  give  you 
my  word  Mr.  Pickwick  never  saw  a  rat  in  his  life." 

"  What  an  extraordinary  young  man !  "  ruminated 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  and  she  bestowed  upon  Richard 
a  searching  glance  to  see  if  by  any  miracle  of  imperti 
nence  he  was  poking  fun  at  her. 

That  well-balanced  gentleman  realized  the  peril,  and 
faced  it  with  a  countenance  as  blankly,  not  to  say  as 
blandly  vacuous  as  the  wrong  side  of  a  tombstone.  He 
ran  the  less  risk;  for  the  lady  could  not  conceive  how 
anyone  dare  take  so  gross  a  liberty  with  a  Hanway- 
Harley  ;  one,  too,  whose  future  held  tremendous  chances 
of  a  White  House.  Being  satisfied  of  Richard's  seri 
ousness,  and  concluding  privily  that  he  was  only  a 
dullard  whom  the  honor  of  her  notice  had  confused,  she 
said: 

"  Umph !  Matzai  and  Mr.  Pickwick !  Yes ;  cer 
tainly  ! " 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       47 

Then  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  set  herself  to  ask  ques 
tions,  the  bald  aggressiveness  whereof  gave  the  daugh 
ter  a  red  brow.  Richard  answered  readily,  as  though 
glad  of  the  chance,  and  did  not  notice  the  crimson  that 
painted  Dorothy's  face. 

The  latter  young  lady  was  as  much  puzzled  by  their 
caller  as  was  her  mother,  without  accounting  for  his 
oddities  on  any  argument  of  dullness.  Indeed,  she  could 
see  how  he  played  with  them :  that  there  flowed  an  under 
current  of  irony  in  his  replies.  Moreover,  while  by  his 
manner  he  had  pedestaled  and  prayed  to  her  as  to  a 
goddess,  when  they  were  alone  and  before  her  mother 
came,  Dorothy  now  observed  that  Richard  carried  him 
self  in  a  manner  easy  and  masterful,  and  as  one  who 
knows  much  in  the  presence  of  ones  who  know  little. 
This  air  of  the  ineffably  invincible  made  Dorothy  for 
get  the  adoration  which  had  aforetime  glowed  in  his 
eyes,  and  she  longed  to  box  his  ears. 

"  Is  Mr.  Gwynn  your  relative? "  asked  the  cool, 
though  somewhat  careless,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  No,  madam ;  no  relative."  There  drifted  about  the 
corners  of  Richard's  mouth  the  shadow  of  a  smile. 
"  He  is  all  English ;  I  am  all  American." 

"  I'm  sure  I'm  sorry,"  remarked  the  lady  musingly. 
Then  without  saying  upon  what  her  sorrow  was  hinged, 
she  proceeded.  "  Mr.  Gwynn,  I  hear — I  don't  know 
him  personally,  but  hope  soon  to  have  that  pleasure — - 


48  THE  PRESIDENT 

is  a  gentleman  of  highest  breeding.  My  brother  as 
sures  me  that  he  has  most  delightful  manners.  I  know 
I  shall  adore  him.  If  there's  anything  I  wholly  admire 
it  is  an  old-school  English  gentleman — they  have  so 
much  refinement,  so  much  elevation !  " 

"  It  might  not  become  me,"  returned  Richard,  in  what 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  took  to  be  a  spirit  of  diffidence, 
"  to  laud  the  deportment  of  Mr.  Gwynn.  But  what 
should  you  expect  in  one  who  all  his  life  has  had  about 
him  the  best  society  of  England  ?  " 

"  Ah !  I  can  see  you  like  him — venerate  him !  " 
This  with  ardor. 

"  I  won't  answer  for  the  veneration,"  returned  Rich 
ard.  "  I  like  him  well  enough — as  Mr.  Gwynn." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  stared  in  matronly  reproof. 

"  You  don't  appear  over  grateful  to  your  bene 
factor." 

"  No ;  "  and  Richard  shook  his  head.  "  I'm  quite 
the  churl,  I  know;  but  I  can't  help  it." 

Richard  found  a  chance  to  say  to  Dorothy, 

"  I  sec  that  you  love  flowers." 

This  was  when  Dorothy  had  taken  refuge  among 
those  blossoms. 

"  I  worship  flowers,"  returned  Doroth}7. 

"  Now  I  don't  wonder,"  exclaimed  Richard.  "  You 
and  they  have  so  much  in  common." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  for  the  moment  preoccu- 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       49 

pied  with  thoughts  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  plans  for  the 
small  Senate  dinner  at  which  that  austere  gentleman 
would  find  himself  in  the  place  of  honor.  However,  she 
caught  some  flash  of  Richard's  remark.  For  the  frac 
tion  of  an  instant  it  bred  a  doubt  of  his  dullness.  What 
if  he  should  come  philandering  after  Dorothy?  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harlcy's  feathers  began  to  rise.  No  beggar 
fed  by  charity  need  hope  for  her  daughter's  hand;  she 
was  firm-set  as  to  that.  Perhaps  Mr.  Gwynn  intended 
to  make  him  rich  by  his  will.  At  this  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley's  feathers  showed  less  excitement.  Mr.  Gwynn 
should  be  sounded  on  the  subject  of  bequests.  Why 
not  put  the  question  to  Mr.  Storms?  It  would  at  least 
lead  to  the  development  of  that  equivocal  gentleman's 
expectations. 

"Has  Mr.  Gwynn  any  family  in  England?"  asked 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  A  nephew  or  two,  I  believe ;  possibly  a  brother." 

"  But  he  will  make  you  his  heir." 

"  Me?  "  Richard  gave  a  negative  shake  of  the  head. 
"  The  old  fellow  wouldn't  leave  me  a  shilling.  Why 
should  he?  Nor  would  I  accept  it  if  he  did." 
Richard's  sidelong  look  at  Mrs.  Hanway-Harle3T  was 
full  of  amusement.  "  No,  the  old  rogue  hates  me,  if 
he  would  but  tell  the  truth — which  he  won't — and  if  it 
were  worth  my  while  and  compatible  with  my  self- 
respect,  I've  no  doubt  I'd  hate  him." 


50  THE  PRESIDENT 

This  sentiment  was  delivered  with  the  blase  air  of 
weariness  worn  out,  that  should  belong  with  him  who  has 
seen  and  heard  and  known  a  world's  multitude;  which 
manner  is  everywhere  recognized  as  the  very  flower  of 
good  breeding. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  sat  tongue-tied  with  astonish 
ment.  In  the  end  she  recalled  herself.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  scented  nothing  perilous  in  the  situation.  In 
any  event,  Dorothy  would  wed  whomsoever  she  decreed ; 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  deservedly  certain  of  that. 
While  this  came  to  her  mind,  Richard  the  enterprising 
went  laying  plans  for  the  daily  desolation  of  an  entire 
greenhouse. 

"  Dorothy,"  observed  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  after 
Richard  had  gone  his  way,  "  there  you  have  a  young 
man  remarkable  for  two  things:  his  dullness  and  his 
effrontery.  Did  you  hear  how  he  spoke  of  his  bene 
factor?  The  wretch!  After  all  that  good,  poor  Mr. 
Gwynn  has  done  for  him !  " 

"  How  do  you  know  what  Mr.  Gwynn  has  done  for 
him?" 

Dorothy,  while  she  confessed  the  justice  of  her 
mother's  strictures,  felt  uncommonly  inclined  to  defend 
the  absent  one.  Her  memory  of  those  tender  glances 
was  coming  back. 

"  Why,  it  is  all  over  town !  Mr.  Storms  is  depend 
ent  on  Mr.  Gwynn.  By  the  way,  I  hope  Count 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       51 

Storri  did  not  meet  him  ?  "  This  was  given  in  the  ris 
ing  inflection  of  a  query. 

"  Only  for  a  moment,"  returned  Dorothy,  breaking 
into  a  little  crow  of  laughter.  "  The  Count  did  not 
seem  to  like  him."  Dorothy  thought  of  that  combat 
of  the  hands,  and  how  Storri  was  beaten  to  his  knee, 
and  how  fiercely  glorious  Richard  looked  at  that  instant. 

"  What  should  you  expect  ?  "  observed  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley.  "  The  Count  is  a  nobleman.  And  that  re 
minds  me:  Dorothy,  he  appears  a  bit  smitten.  What 
if  it  were  to  prove  serious  ?  " 

"  You  wouldn't  have  me  marry  him,  mamma  ?  " 

"  What !  Not  marry  a  Count ! "  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  was  shocked  as  only  an  American  mother  could 
have  been  shocked.  She  appealed  to  the  ceiling  with 
her  horrified  hands.  "  Oh !  the  callousness  of  children !  " 
she  cried.  Following  this  outburst  of  despair,  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  composed  herself.  "  We  need  not  con 
sider  that  now ;  it  will  be  soon  enough  when  the  Count 
offers  us  his  hand."  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  sank  back 
in  her  chair  with  closed  eyes  and  saw  a  vision  of  herself 
at  the  Court  of  the  Czar.  Then  she  continued  her 
thoughts  aloud.  "  It's  more  than  likely,  my  dear,  that 
the  Czar  would  appoint  Count  Storri  Ambassador  to 
Washington." 

"  It  would  be  extremely  intelligent  of  the  Czar,  I'm 
sure,"  returned  Dorothy  with  a  twinkle. 


52  THE  PRESIDENT 

The  next  morning  a  colored  youth  clad  in  the  garish 
livery  of  an  Avenue  florist  made  his  appearance  on  the 
Harley  premises  bearing  aloft  an  armful  of  flowers  as 
large  as  a  sheaf  of  wheat.  By  the  card  they  were  for 
"  Miss  Harley."  The  morning  following,  and  every 
morning,  came  the  colored  youth  bearing  an  odorous 
armful.  Who  were  they  from?  The  card  told  noth 
ing;  it  was  the  handwriting  of  the  florist. 

"Don't  you  think  it  might  be  Count  Storri?"  said 
Dorothy  demurely,  taking  her  pretty  nose — the  nose 
Richard  saved — out  of  the  flowers.  "  Those  Russians 
are  so  extravagant,  so  eccentric !  " 

"  Suppose  I  thank  him  for  them,"  observed  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley ;  "  that  would  bring  him  out !  " 

"  No,  no,"  exclaimed  Dorothy  hastily ;  "  it  might  em 
barrass  the  Count." 

"  Pshaw !  I'll  ask  the  florist." 

"  No ;  that  would  offend  the  Count.  You  see, 
mamma,  he  thinks  that  we  will  know  without  asking. 
He  would  hardly  regard  our  ignorance  as  a  compli 
ment,"  and  Dorothy  pouted.  "  You'd  spoil  every 
thing." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  saw  the  force  of  this  and 
yielded,  though  it  cost  her  curiosity  a  pang. 

Dorothy's  dearest  friend  was  with  them — a  tall,  un 
dulating  blonde,  who  was  sometimes  like  a  willow  and 
sometimes  like  a  cat.  When  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       53 

left  the  room,  and  Miss  Marklin  and  Dorothy  were 
alone,  the  former  said  firmly : 

"  Dorothy,  who  sent  them  ?  " 

"  Now,  how  should  I  know,  Bess?  You  read  the 
card." 

"  When  a  woman  receives  flowers,  she  always  knows 
from  whom,"  returned  this  wise  virgin  oracularly. 

"  Wei),  then,"  said  Dorothy  resignedly,  drawing  the 
golden  head  of  the  pythoness  down  until  the  small,  pink 
ear  was  level  with  her  lips,  "  if  you  must  know,  let  me 
whisper." 

There  arc  people  who  hold  that  everybody  they  do 
not  understand  is  a  fool.  There  be  others  who  hold 
that  everybody  who  doesn't  understand  them  is  a  fool. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harlcy  belonged  to  the  former  class,  and 
not  making  Richard  out,  she  marked  him  "  fool,"  and 
so  informed  Mr.  Harley  as  she  penned  the  dinner  in 
vitation  to  Mr.  Gwynn. 

"  Of  course,  we  shall  not  ask  this  Mr.  Storms  to  the 
dinner.  He  would  be  misplaced  by  his  years  for  one 
thing.  Besides,  I'm  sure  Mr.  Gwynn  wouldn't  like  it. 
I  saw  enough  of  Mr.  Storms  to  doubt  if,  in  their  own 
house,  he  dines  at  the  same  table  with  Mr.  Gwynn." 

"  At  any  rate,"  remarked  the  cautious  Mr.  Harley, 
"  it's  safe  to  leave  him  out  this  time.  We'll  establish 
his  proper  level,  socially,  by  talking  with  Mr.  Gwynn." 

Mr.  Gwynn  came  back  from  New  York  on  Thursday 


54  THE  PRESIDENT 

afternoon.     His  traffic  with   Talon   &   Trehawke  was 
successful,  and  he  had  bought  the  Dally  Tory. 

Richard  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Washington  cor 
respondence.  He  was  given  a  brace  of  assistants  to 
protect,  as  he  said,  the  subscribers ;  for  be  it  known  that 
Richard  of  the  many  blemishes  knew  no  more  of  news 
paper  work  than  he  did  of  navigation. 

Mr.  Gwynn  found  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  dinner  in 
vitation  awaiting  him;  it  was  for  the  next  evening. 
He  brought  it  to  Richard. 

"You  will  go,  Mr.  Gwynn,"  said  that  gentleman.  "  I 
will  consider;  and  to-morrow  I  will  tell  you  what  you 
are  to  say." 

Richard  has  been  referred  to  as  a  soul  of  many  blem 
ishes.  The  chief  of  these  was  his  cynicism,  although 
that  cynicism  had  a  cause  if  not  a  reason.  With  other 
traits,  the  same  either  virtues  or  vices  according 
to  the  occasion  and  the  way  they  were  turned,  Richard 
was  sensitive.  He  was  as  thin-skinned  as  a  woman  and 
as  greedy  of  approval.  And  yet  his  sensitiveness,  with 
nerves  all  on  the  surface,  worked  to  its  own  defeat.  It 
rendered  Richard  fearful  of  jar  and  jolt;  with  that  he 
turned  brusque,  repelled  folk,  and  shrunk  away  from 
having  them  too  near. 

For  a  crowning  disaster,  throughout  his  years  of 
manhood,  Richard  had  had  nothing  to  do.  He  had 
been  idle  with  no  work  and  no  object  to  work  for.  You 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  IIARLEYS        55 

can  suffer  from  brain  famine  and  from  hand  famine. 
You  may  starve  your  brain  and  your  hand  with  idle 
ness  as  readily  as  you  starve  your  stomach  with  no 
food.  And  Richard's  nature,  without  his  knowing,  had 
pined  for  lack  of  work. 

There  had  been  other  setbacks.  Richard  lost  his 
mother  before  he  could  remember,  and  his  father  when  he 
was  twelve.  He  was  an  onhT  child,  and  his  father,  as  well 
as  his  mother,  had  been  an  only  child.  Richard  stood  as 
utterly  without  a  family  as  did  the  first  man.  He  grew 
up  with  schoolmasters  and  tutors,  looked  after  by  guard 
ians  who,  infected  of  a  fashion,  held  that  the  best  place 
to  rear  an  American  was  Europe.  These  maniacs  kept 
Richard  abroad  for  fairly  the  fifteen  years  next  before 
he  meets  you  in  these  pages.  The  guardians  were  hon 
est  men ;  they  watched  the  dollars  of  their  ward  with 
all  the  jealous  eyes  of  Argus.  His  mind  they  left  to 
chance-blown  influences,  all  alien ;  and  to  teachers, 
equally  alien,  and  as  equally  the  selection  of  chance. 
And  so  it  came  that  Richard  grew  up  and  continued 
without  an  attachment  or  a  friendship  or  a  purpose; 
and  with  a  distrust  of  men  in  the  gross  promoted  to 
feather-edge.  Altogether  he  should  be  called  as  love 
less,  not  to  say  as  unlovable,  a  character  as  any  you 
might  encounter,  and  search  throughout  a  summer's 
day. 

Most  of  all,  Richard  had  been  spoiled  by  an  admira- 


56  THE  PRESIDENT 

tion  for  Democritus,  which  Thracian's  acquaintance  he 
picked  up  at  school.  He  saw,  or  thought  he  saw,  much 
in  the  case  of  the  Abderite  to  remind  him  of  his  own ; 
and  to  imitate  him  he  traveled,  professed  a  chuckling 
indifference  to  both  the  good  and  the  ill  in  life,  and, 
heedful  to  laugh  at  whatever  turned  up,  humored 
himself  with  the  notion  that  he  was  a  philosopher. 
Democritus  was  Richard's  affectation :  being  only  an 
affectation  Democritus  did  not  carry  him  to  the  extreme 
of  putting  out  his  own  eyes  as  a  help  to  thought. 

Richard,  to  reach  his  thirtieth  year,  had  traveled  far 
by  many  a  twisting  road.  And  for  all  the  good  his 
wanderings  overtook,  he  would  have  come  as  well  off 
standing  still.  But  a  change  was  risping  at  the  door. 
In  Dorothy  Richard  had  found  one  to  love.  Now  in 
his  sudden  role  of  working  journalist,  he  had  found 
work  to  do.  Richard  caught  his  bosom  swelling  with 
sensations  never  before  known,  as  he  loafed  over  a  cigar 
in  his  rooms.  Love  and  ambition  both  were  busy  at  his 
heart's  roots.  He  would  win  Dorothy ;  he  would  become 
a  writer. 

Richard,  his  cynicism  touching  the  elbow  of  his  dream, 
caught  himself  sourly  smiling.  He  shook  himself  free, 
however,  and  was  surprised  to  see  how  that  ice  of  cyni 
cism  gave  way  before  a  little  heat  of  hope.  It  was  as 
if  his  nature  we're  coming  out  of  winter  into  spring; 
whereat  Richard  was  cheered. 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       57 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  quoth  Richard,  staring  about  the 
room  in  defiance  of  what  cynic  imps  were  present.  "  I 
may  yet  become  a  husband  and  an  author  before  a 
twelvemonth." 

Richard  later  took  counsel  with  the  gray  Nestor  of 
the  press  gallery — a  past  master  at  his  craft  of  ink. 

"  Write  new  things  in  an  old  way,"  said  this  finished 
one  whose  name  was  known  in  two  hemispheres ;  "  write 
new  things  in  an  old  way  or  old  things  in  a  new  way 
or  new  things  in  a  new  way.  Do  not  write  old  things  in 
an  old  way;  it  will  be  as  though  you  strove  to  build  a 
fire  with  ashes." 

"  And  is  that  all?  "  asked  Richard. 

"  It  is  the  whole  of  letters,"  said  the  finished  one. 
With  that  Richard,  nursing  a  stout  heart,  began  his 
grind. 

Every  writer,  not  a  mere  bricklayer  of  words,  has 
what  for  want  of  better  epithet  is  called  a  style.  There 
be  writers  whose  style  is  broad  and  deep  and  lucid  like  a 
lake.  It  shimmers  bravely  as  some  ray  of  fancy  touches 
it,  or  it  tosses  in  billows  with  some  stormy  stress  of  feel 
ing.  And  yet,  you  who  read  must  spread  some  per 
sonal  sail  and  bring  some  gale  of  favoring  interest  all 
your  own,  to  carry  you  across.  There  be  writers  whose 
style  is  swift  and  flashing  like  a  river,  and  has  a  current 
to  whirl  you  along.  The  style  seizes  on  you  and  takes 
you  down  the  page,  showing  the  right  and  the  left  of 


58  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  subject  as  a  river  shows  its  banks.  You  are  swept 
round  some  unexpected  bend  of  incident,  and  given  new 
impressions  in  new  lights.  Addison  was  the  king  of 
those  who  wrote  like  a  lake;  Macaulay  of  those  who 
wrote  like  a  river.  The  latter  is  the  better  style,  giving 
more  and  carrying  further  and  tiring  less. 

Richard  belonged  by  native  gift  to  the  Macaulay 
school.  He  tasted  the  incense  of  his  occupation  when, 
having  sent  his  first  story,  the  night  manager  wired: 

"  Great !     Keep  it  up." 

Richard  read  and  re-read  the  four  words,  and  it  must 
be  confessed  felt  somewhat  ashamed  at  the  good  they 
did  him — being  the  first  words  of  encomium  that  had 
ever  come  his  way.  They  confirmed  his  ambition ;  he 
had  found  a  pleasant,  unexpected  window  from  which 
to  reconsider  existence. 

It  was  seven  o'clock  and  Richard  sat  turning  over  a 
pile  of  papers  which  related  to  the  purchase  of  the  Dally 
Tory;  they  had  been  left  by  Mr.  Gwynn.  These  he 
compared  with  a  letter  or  two  that  had  just  come  in. 

"  What  a  fool  and  old  rogue  it  is !  "  cried  Richard 
disgustedly.  Then  he  pushed  the  button  that  summoned 
Mr.  Gwynn. 

That  severe  Briton  appeared  in  flawless  evening  dress. 
It  was  the  occasion  of  the  Harley  dinner,  and  Mr. 
Gwynn  had  ordered  his  carriage  for  half  after  seven. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,"  said  Richard,  "  the  Harley  purpose  is 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       59 

the  Presidential  hopes  of  Senator  Hanway.  You  will 
offer  aid  in  all  of  Senator  Hanway's  plans.  Partic 
ularly,  you  arc  to  let  him  know  that  the  Daily  Tory  is 
at  his  service.  Say  that  I,  as  its  correspondent,  shall 
make  it  my  first  duty  to  wait  upon  him." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn. 

"  Another  moment,  Mr.  Gwynn,"  said  Richard,  as 
the  other  was  about  to  go.  "  Give  me  your  personal 
check  for  eleven  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  dol 
lars." 

Mr.  Gywnn's  face  twitched;  he  hesitated,  rocking  a 
little  on  his  feet.  Richard  had  turned  to  scribble 
something;  with  that,  repressing  whatever  had  been 
upon  his  lips,  Mr.  Gwynn  withdrew.  He  was  instantly 
back  with  a  strip  of  paper  fluttering  in  his  fingers. 
Richard  placed  it  in  his  desk.  Taking  a  similar  strip 
from  his  writing  pad  he  gave  it  to  Mr.  Gwynn. 

"  My  own  check  for  eleven  thousand  six  hundred  and 
forty  dollars,  Mr.  Gwynn,"  said  Richard.  "  I  make 
you  a  present  of  it.  That  is  to  save  your  credit. 
Hereafter,  when  you  see  a  chance  to  play  the  scoundrel, 
before  you  embrace  it,  please  measure  the  probable  pil 
lage  and  let  me  know.  I  will  then  give  you  the  amount. 
In  that  way  you  will  have  the  profits  of  every  act  of 
villainy  you  might  commit,  while  missing  the  mud  and 
mire  of  its  accomplishment.  Remember,  Mr.  Gwynn; 
I  will  not  tolerate  a  rascal." 


60  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  You  are  extremely  good,  sir,"  said  the  frozen  Mr. 
Gwynn. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  placed  Mr.  Gwynn  on  her  right 
hand,  a  distinction  which  that  personage  bore  with  a 
petrified  grace  most  beautiful  to  look  upon.  Senator 
Hanway  was  on  the  other  side  of  Mr.  Gwynn.  The 
party  was  not  large — eight  in  all — and,  besides  the  trio 
named  and  Mr.  Harley,  counted  such  partisans  of  Sen 
ator  Hanway  as  Senators  Gruff  and  Kink  and  Wink  and 
Loot  and  Price.  Mr.  Gwynn  was  delighted  to  meet  so 
much  good  company,  and  intimated  it  in  a  manner  decor 
ously  conventional. 

"  Isn't  he  utterly  English,  and  therefore  utterly  ad 
mirable?"  whispered  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  to  Senator 
Loot. 

That  statesman  agreed  to  this  as  well  as  he  could 
with  a  mouth  at  work  on  fish. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  affably, 
"  I  shall  make  the  most  of  you  while  I  may.  You  know 
I  only  intend  to  see  you  gentlemen  safely  launched,  and 
then  I  shall  retire." 

Mr.  Gwynn  bowed  gravely.  Mr.  Gwynn's  strength 
lay  in  bowing.  He  was  also  remarkable  for  the  un 
flagging  attention  which  he  paid  to  whatever  was  said 
to  him.  On  such  occasions  his  unblinking  stare,  wholly 
receptive  like  an  underling  taking  orders,  and  never  a 
glimmer  of  either  contradiction  or  agreement  or  even 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS       61 

intelligence  to  show  therein,  was  almost  disconcerting. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  however,  declared  that  this  recep 
tive,  inane  stare  was  the  hall-mark  of  exclusive  English 
circles.  Mr.  Gwynn  gave  another  proof  of  culture;  he 
pitched  upon  the  best  wine  and  stuck  to  it,  tasting  and 
relishing  with  educated  palate.  This  set  him  up  with 
Mr.  Harley. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  make  the  most  of  you,  Mr.  Gwynn," 
said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

By  way  of  making  the  most  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  spoke  of  meeting  Mr.  Storms.  In 
her  opinion  that  young  man  did  not  appreciate  the 
goodness  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  was  far  from  grateful 
for  those  benefits  which  the  latter  showered  upon  him. 
At  this  intelligence,  Mr.  Gywnn  was  taken  so  aback 
that  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  stopped  abruptly  and 
shifted  the  conversation.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was 
one  of  those  who  have  half -tact;  they  know  enough 
to  back  out  and  not  enough  to  keep  out  of  a  blun 
der. 

The  dinner  was  neither  long  nor  formal.  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley  at  last  removed  the  restraint  of  her  pres 
ence,  and  thereupon  Mr.  Harley  drank  twice  as  much 
wine  to  help  him  bear  her  absence.  Mr.  Gwynn's  health 
was  proposed  by  Mr.  Harley,  and  Mr.  Gwynn  bowed  his 
thanks.  It  should  be  understood  that  Mr.  Gwynn 
bowed  like  a  Mandarin  from  beginning  to  end  of  the 


62  THE  PRESIDENT 

feast.  There  were  no  speeches ;  no  man  can  make  a 
speech  to  an  audience  of  six.  Cicero  himself  would  have 
been  dumb  under  such  meager  conditions. 

When  Mr.  Harlcy  drank  Mr.  Gwynn's  health  for  the 
tenth  time,  and  attempted,  assisted  by  Senators  Gruff 
and  Price,  to  sing  a  song  in  his  honor,  Senator  Hanway 
adroitly  brought  the  dinner  to  a  close.  He  was  the 
more  stirred  to  this  as  the  plaster  of  Paris  countenance 
of  Mr.  Gwynn,  when  Mr.  Harley  began  to  sing,  be 
trayed  manifest  alarm. 

After  dinner  Senator  Hanway  got  Mr.  Gwynn  into 
a  corner.  Thereupon,  in  a  manner  creditable  to  him 
self,  Mr.  Gwynn  gave  Senator  Hanway  to  know  that  he 
was  his  friend.  The  Daily  Tory  should  be  his  ;  Richard 
should  be  his ;  Mr.  Gwynn  and  all  he  called  his  own 
should  be  his ;  Senator  Hanway  was  to  make  whatever 
use  of  Richard  and  the  Daily  Tory  and  Mr.  Gwynn 
his  experience  and  his  interests  might  suggest.  In 
deed,  Mr.  Gwynn  talked  very  well  in  private  and  in 
whispers ;  and  Senator  Hanway  said  later  to  Sen 
ator  Kink  that  he  was  the  deepest  man  he  had  ever 
met. 

"And,"  said  Senator  Hanway,  squeezing  Mr.  Gwynn's 
hand  as  that  gentleman  made  ready  for  home,  "  tell 
your  young  man  that  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  him.  There 
are  certain  contingencies  touching  the  next  Speakership 
of  the  House  which  should  interest  his  paper.  I  shall 


MR.  GWYNN  WITH  THE  HARLEYS        63 

see  you  to-morrow,  Mr.  Gwynn — \vith  your  permission. 
You  can  and  should  play  a  most  important  part  in 
selecting  that  same  Speaker.  Your  measureless  inter 
ests  in  the  great  Anaconda  Airline  warrant  me  in  the 
assertion.'* 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOW    A    SPEAKERSHIP    WAS    FOUGHT    FOB 

FATE  now  and  then  turns  jester  in  a  bitter 
way,  and  stoops  to  ironies  and  grinning  sar 
casm.     Often   it   gives  with  the  right  hand 
only    to    take    with    the    left,    and    blinded    ones    are 
set  to  chop  and  saw  and  plane  those  trees  which  in  the 
end  make  gallows  for  their  hopes.     The  story  of  the 
world   shows   many   an   inadvertent   Frankenstein    and 
deeply  justifies  the  grew  some  Mrs.  Shelley. 

Something  less  than  two  years  prior  to  that  evening 
when  Senator  Hanway  took  the  congealed  Mr.  Gwynn 
into  a  corner  and  told  him  how,  with  his  great  Anaconda 
Airline,  he  should  cut  a  figure  in  the  selection  of  a  next 
Speaker  for  the  House  of  Representatives,  it  had  been 
that  statesman's  fortune  to  so  reconstruct  a  tariff  that 
it  gave  unusual  riches  and  thereby  unusual  comfort  to 
the  dominant  ones  of  a  certain  manufacturing  North 
eastern  State.  This  commonwealth  at  the  time  was 
politically  in  the  hands  of  the  party  opposed  to  Sen 
ator  Hanway.  Mollified  by  the  friendly  tariff  and 
anxious  to  mark  their  gratitude,  those  dominant  ones 
arose  and  in  the  following  autumn  elected  to  be  Governor 

64 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        65 

of  said  State  a  middle-aged  individual,  eminent  for 
obstinacy  and  a  kind  of  bovine  integrity  that  nothing 
might  corrupt  or  turn  aside.  The  Obstinate  One  of 
course  belonged  with  the  party  of  Senator  Hanway. 

At  this  pinch  a  vile  chance  befell.  No  sooner  was 
the  Obstinate  One  given  the  Governorship  of  a  State 
doubtful  and  accounted  the  enemy's  country,  than 
straightway  he  was  looked  upon  as  White  House  timber 
by  sundry  architects  of  politics,  and  thereafter  his  name 
went  more  or  less  linked  with  a  possible  Presidency. 
The  situation  stirred  the  spleen  of  Senator  Hanway. 
It  was  discouraging  to  have  those  identical  tariff  tri 
umphs,  which  had  been  intended  as  an  argument  favor 
able  to  himself,  give  birth  to  a  rival;  one  also  who,  for 
his  geography  and  the  popularity  which  those  personal 
obstinacies  and  thick-skulled  integrities  invoked,  might 
work  a  grave  disturbance  in  his  plans.  To  make  bad 
worse,  the  Obstinate  One  possessed  a  sinister  luck  of  his 
own  and  with  closed  eyes  backed  into  a  fight  on  the 
right  side  and  won  it  against  a  pack  of  lobby  wolves 
who  were  yelping  and  snapping  about  the  State  Treas 
ury.  This,  although  the  Obstinate  One  of  all  men  least 
appreciated  what  he  had  done,  confirmed  him  as  a 
valuable  asset  of  party ;  pending  further  honors  the 
public  to  reward  him  gave  him  the  title  of  Governor 
Obstinate. 

In  his  white,  still,  rippleless  way,  Senator  Hanway 


66  THE  PRESIDENT 

hated  in  his  soul's  soul  the  name  of  Governor  Obstinate. 
Night  and  day  he  carried  that  dull,  fortunate  gentle 
man  on  his  swell  of  thought  and  never  ceased  to  con 
sider  how  he  might  deal  him  a  blow  or  withstand  him 
in  any  Presidential  stepping  forward.  And  yet  at  no 
time  had  Senator  Hanway — and  himself  the  master  of 
every  art  of  cord  and  creese  in  politics — felt  more  help 
less.  If  Governor  Obstinate  had  been  no  more  than  just 
a  finished  politician,  a  mere  Crillon  of  political  fence, 
Senator  Hanway  might  have  flashed  his  ready  point  be 
tween  his  ribs.  But  the  other's  very  crudities  defended 
him.  He  was  primitive  to  the  verge  of  despair.  Even 
his  strength  was  primitive,  inasmuch  as  it  dwelt  among 
the  people  rather  than  with  the  machinists  of  party. 
Senator  Hanway's  monkish  brow  went  often  puckered  of 
a  most  uncanonical  frown  as  he  thought  upon  that  sar 
donic  Destiny  which  had  thrust  this  Governor  Obstinate 
forward  to  become  a  stumbling  block  in  his  way.  In 
his  angry  contempt  he  could  compare  him  to  nothing 
save  a  grizzly  bear. 

Whatever  the  justice  of  this  last  shaggy  simile,  even 
Senator  Hanway  could  not  deny  its  formidable  side.  A 
grizzly,  whether  in  fact  or  in  hyperbole,  is  no  one  good 
to  meet.  There  is  a  supremacy  of  the  primitive ;  when 
the  natural  and  the  artificial  have  collided  the  latter  has 
more  than  once  come  limping  off.  Our  soldiers  cannot 
make  the  Indians  fight  their  fashion ;  the  Indians  make 


FIGHTING  FOR  'A   SPEAKERSHIP        67 

the  soldiers  fight  their  fashion.  If  the  soldiers  were 
dense  enough  to  insist  upon  their  formation,  the  Indians 
— fighting  all  over  the  field  and  each  red  warrior  for 
himself — would  fill  them  as  full  of  holes  as  a  colander. 
When,  therefore,  Senator  Hanway  called  Governor  Ob 
stinate  a  grizzly,  it  was  a  name  of  respect.  The  usual 

p 
methods  would  not  prevail  in  his  stubborn  case.     Most 

of  all,  money  could  not  be  employed  to  overthrow  him ; 
for  his  foundations,  like  the  foundations  of  any  other 
grizzly,  were  original  and  beyond  the  touch  of  money. 

Now  all  this  served  to  palsy  the  strength  of 
Senator  Hanway.  In  one  shape  or  another,  and 
whether  by  promise  or  actual  present  production, 
money  was  his  one  great  tool ;  and  where  the  tool  has 
lost  its  power  the  artisan  is  also  powerless.  It  is  not 
to  Senator  Hanway's  discredit  that  he  would  fail  where 
money  failed ;  Richelieu,  wanting  money,  would  have 
been  a  turtle  on  its  back.  Wherefore,  let  it  be  re 
written  that  Senator  Hanway  in  the  face  of  those 
clumsy,  uncouth,  half-seeing  yet  tremendous  potential 
ities  of  his  enemy  was  seized  of  a  helplessness  never  be 
fore  felt.  To  oppose  the  other  with  only  those  nar- 
now  means  of  money  was  like  trying  to  put  down  a 
Sioux  uprising  with  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of 
Trade.  Still,  he  must  do  his  best;  he  must  hold  this 
Governor  Obstinate  as  much  as  he  might  in  check,  trust 
ing  to  the  chapter  of  accidents,  which  in  politics  is  a 


68  THE  PRESIDENT 

very  lair  of  surprises,  to  suggest  final  ways  and  means 
to  baffle  his  advance. 

For  the  business  of  making  him  President,  the  com 
plaisant  Senate  had  become  the  workshop  of  Senator 
Hanway.  Now,  on  the  brink  of  a  new  Congress,  one 

which  would  be  in  session  when  the  nominating  conven- 

• 

tion  of  his  party  was  called  to  order  and  therefore  might 
be  supposed  to  own  power  over  its  action  and  the  Presi 
dential  ticket  it  would  put  up,  Senator  Hanway 
resolved  to  add  the  House  of  Representatives  to  his 
machine.  He  would  elect  its  Speaker,  and  make  the 
House  an  annex  to  his  workshop  of  a  Senate.  He 
would  hook  up  House  and  Senate  as  a  coachman  hooks 
up  his  team,  and  driving  them  tandem  or  abreast  as  the 
exigencies  of  the  hour  suggested,  see  how  far  two  such 
powerful  agencies  might  take  him  on  his  White  House 
road. 

It  was  on  the  side  of  Senator  Hanway  a  brilliant 
thought  and  a  daring  one,  this  plan  to  seize  a  Speaker- 
ship  and  apply  it  to  his  personal  fortunes ;  for  your 
Speakership  is  that  office  second  only  to  a  Presidency, 
and  comes  often  to  be  the  latter's  superior  in  practical 
force.  Those  wise  ones  who  designed  the  government  in 
tended  the  House  of  Representatives  to  be  a  republic. 
Through  its  own  groveling  abjections,  however,  it  long 
ago  sunk  to  an  autocracy  with  the  Speaker  in  the  role 
of  autocrat.  It  sold  its  birthright  for  no  one  knows 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        69 

what  mess  of  pottage  to  pass  its  slavish  days  beneath 
a  tyranny  of  the  gavel.  The  Speaker  settles  all  things. 
No  measure  is  proposed,  no  bill  passes,  no  member 
speaks  except  by  the  Speaker's  will.  He  constructs 
the  committees  and  selects  their  chairmen  and  lays  out 
their  work.  With  a  dozen  members,  every  one  of  whom 
votes  and  acts  beneath  his  thumb,  the  Speaker  transacts 
the  story  of  the  House.  So  far  as  the  other  three 
hundred  and  forty  odd  members  are  concerned,  the  folk 
who  sent  them  might  as  well  have  written  a  letter. 
They  live  as  much  without  art  or  part  or  lot  in  plan 
ning  and  executing  House  affairs  as  do  the  caged  men 
agerie  animals  in  the  planning  and  execution  of  the 
affairs  of  what  show  they  happen  to  exist  as  the  attrac 
tions.  These  caged  ones  of  the  House  are  never  re 
garded  and  but  seldom  heard.  The  best  that  one  of 
them  may  gain  is  "  Leave  to  print " ;  which  is  a  kind  of 
consent  to  be  fraudulent,  and  permits  a  member  to  pre 
tend  through  the  Congressional  Record  that  he  made 
a  speech  (which  he  never  made)  and  was  overwhelmed  by 
applause  (which  he  did  not  receive)  which  swept  down 
in  thunderous  peals  (during  moments  utterly  silent) 
from  crowded  galleries  (as  empty  as  a  church). 

Senator  Hanway,  when  he  decided  to  pick  out  a 
House  Speaker  favorable  to  his  hopes,  had  plenty  of 
time  wherein  to  lay  his  plans.  The  personnel  of  a 
coming  House  is  known  for  over  a  year;  the  mem- 


70  THE  PRESIDENT 

bers  are  elected  nearly  thirteen  months  before  they 
take  their  seats.  These  thirteen  months  of  grace 
are  granted  the  new  member  by  the  Constitution  on  a 
hopeful  theory  that  he  will  devote  them  to  a  study  of 
his  country's  needs.  In  this  instance,  as  in  many  an 
other,  theory  and  practice  wander  wide  apart ;  the  new 
member  gives  those  thirteen  months  to  a  profound 
study  of  his  own  needs,  and  concerns  himself  no  more 
over  the  nation's  than  over  wine-pressing  in  far-away 
Bordeaux.  It  is  the  glaring  fault  of  every  scheme  of 
government,  your  own  being  no  exception  to  the  rule, 
that  it  seems  meant  for  man  as  he  should  be  rather  than 
for  man  as  he  is. 

Every  member  of  the  coming  House,  among  matters 
of  personal  moment  to  himself,  had  given  no  little 
thought  to  what  committees  he  would  be  placed  upon ; 
and  this,  in  the  nature  of  House  things,  likewise  com 
pelled  him  to  a  consideration  of  the  Speakcrship  and 
who  should  fill  it.  It  was  by  remembering  those  com 
mittee  hopes  and  fears  of  members,  and  adroitly  foment 
ing  them,  that  Senator  Hanway  expected  to  control 
the  Speakcrship  election. 

But  he  must  go  wrarily  to  work.  Coming  from  the 
Senate  end  of  the  Capitol,  Senator  Hanway,  in  his  pro 
posed  interference  in  the  organization  of  the  House, 
must  maintain  himself  discreetly  in  the  dark.  It  was 
not  a  task  to  accomplish  blowing  a  bugle.  The  House 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        71 

had  surrendered  its  powers  to  the  Speaker;  but  it  had 
retained  its  vanity,  and  like  all  weak  animals  it  was 
the  more  vain  for  being  weak.  The  members,  were  it 
once  known  and  parcel  of  the  common  gossip  how  they 
inclined  to  Senator  Hanway's  manipulation,  would  be 
compelled  to  rebel.  They  would  be  driven  to  oppose 
him  as  a  method  of  preserving  what  they  called  their 
self-respect.  Aware  of  this,  Senator  Hanway  never 
came  into  the  open,  never  appeared  upon  the  surface. 
He  secretly  pitched  upon  a  candidate  among  the  older 
ones  of  the  House  and  made  his  deal  with  him,  working 
the  wires  of  his  diplomacy  from  below. 

There  was  peculiar  demand  for  effort  on  Senator 
Hanway's  part.  His  man,  when  now  he  had  selected 
him,  would  not  find  himself  uninterrupted  or  unopposed 
in  his  march  for  that  Spcakership.  There  was  another, 
and  if  native  popularity  were  to  count  a  stronger  hand 
stretched  forth  to  seize  the  gavel  prize.  Had  it  lain 
in  the  cards,  Senator  Hanway,  who  always  sought  his 
ends  on  lines  of  least  resistance,  would  himself  have 
pitched  upon  this  stronger  one.  But  such  was  beyond 
the  question.  The  strong  one  claimed  to  be  of  that 
party  clan  which  pushed  the  offensive  Governor  Obsti 
nate  for  the  Presidency;  and  this  not  only  offered  a 
perfect  reason  why  Senator  Hanway  should  make  no 
alliance  with  him,  but  it  multiplied  the  necessity  for  his 
defeat. 


72  THE  PRESIDENT 

That  member  upon  whom  Senator  Hanway  settled 
for  Speaker  owned  the  biting  name  of  Frost ;  it  was  an 
instance,  however,  when  there  was  nothing  in  a  name. 
Mr.  Frost  was  a  round,  genial  personage  and  only  biting 
with  occasional  sarcasms;  then,  it  is  true,  his  sentences 
cut  like  a  rawhide.  He  was  big,  breezy,  careless,  quick, 
and  coming  of  an  aquatic  ancestry,  oceanic  in  his  sort ; 
even  his  walk  reminded  one  of  a  ground  swell.  And 
yet  he  was  defective  as  a  candidate.  The  House  mem 
bers  liked  him  well,  despite  those  verbal  acridities  which 
shaved  the  surface  of  debate  as  lawns  are  shaven  by  a 
scythe;  but  with  the  last  word  there  existed  no  recog 
nized  House  or  party  reason,  whether  of  the  past,  the 
present  or  the  future,  why  he  should  be  made  Speaker. 
In  the  lay  of  House  topography  he  was  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  river  from  the  Speakership,  and  to  land  him 
within  stretch  of  the  gavel  required  that  Senator  Han- 
way  either  ferry  or  pontoon  him  across.  This  the  lat 
ter  gentleman  set  himself  to  accomplish  by  a  series  of 
intrigues  and  stratagems  that  would  have  brightened 
the  fame  of  a  Talleyrand. 

The  statesman  opposed  to  Mr.  Frost  for  the 
Speakership  was  a  personage  named  Hawkc.  He  stood 
possessed  of  honesty,  intelligence,  and  energy;  also  he 
had  been  for  long  the  leader  of  his  party  in  the  House, 
and  given  his  name  to  a  tariff  measure.  Without  one 
gleam  of  humor,  he  was  of  a  temper  hot  as  that  of  any 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        73 

Hecla,  and  like  his  fellow  volcano,  being  often  in  a  state 
of  eruption,  he  offered  many  reasons  for  being  admired 
and  none  for  being  loved. 

This  should  be  a  key  to  the  man. 

He  had  been  a  brave  soldier  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  when  his  men,  most  of  whom  were  armed  with  shot 
guns — it  being  in  the  early  hours  of  that  strife  and 
these  men  arming  themselves — complained  that  their 
weapons  were  no  match  for  the  Enfields  of  the  foe, 
rebuked  them  fiercely. 

"  General,"  said  the  spokesman  of  the  soldiers ; 
"  these  yere  shotguns  ain't  no  even  break  for  them  rifles 
the  Yanks  are  shootin' !  " 

"  They  are  a  match  for  them,"  retorted  the 
furious  Mr.  Hawke,  "  if  you  will  only  go  close 
enough." 

For  all  his  soberness  of  humor  and  choleric  up 
heavals,  Mr.  Hawke,  because  of  his  record  as  a  House 
leader  and  a  tariff  maker — he  had  tinkered  together 
that  identical  bill  which,  when  Senator  Hanway  later 
revamped  it  in  the  Senate,  produced  the  Obstinate  One 
as  a  Governor — was  the  legitimate  heir  to  the  Speaker- 
ship  ;  and  in  the  House,  where  tradition  is  something 
sacred  and  custom  itself  the  strongest  of  arguments, 
his  defeat  for  the  place  was  thereby  rendered  well-nigh 
impossible.  Senator  Hanway  had  undertaken  no 
child's  task  when  he  went  about  the  gavel  elevation  of 


74  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  popular,  yet — by  House  usage — the  illegitimate 
Mr.  Frost. 

Months  before  ever  Senator  Hanway  was  granted 
the  honor  of  knowing  Mr.  Gwynn,  he  had  been  bur- 
rowingly  busy  about  the  Speakership.  As  a  primary 
step  he  was  obliged  to  suppress  his  ebullient  brother- 
in-law.  Mr.  Harlcy,  the  moment  a  conquest  of  the 
House  in  the  interests  of  Senator  Hanway  was  pro 
posed,  waxed  threateningly  exuberant.  He  was  for 
issuing  forth  to  vociferate  and  slap  members  upon  their 
backs  and  jovially  arrange  committeeships  on  the  giff- 
gaff  principle  of  give  us  the  Speakership  and  you  shall 
become  a  Chairman.  The  optimistic  Mr.  Harley, 
whose  methods  were  somewhat  coarse  and  who  did  most 
things  with  an  ax,  was  precisely  of  that  hopeful  sort 
who  would  advertise  an  auction  of  the  lion's  hide  while 
it  was  yet  upon  the  beast.  Senator  Hanway,  with  in 
stincts  safer  and  more  upon  the  order  of  the  mole's, 
forbade  such  campaigns  of  noise. 

"  You  must  keep  silent,  John,"  said  he,  "  and  never 
let  men  know  what  we  are  about.  You  are  inclined, 
apparently,  to  regard  a  Speakership  as  you  might  a 
swarrn  of  bees ;  you  think  one  has  only  to  beat  a  tin 
pan  long  enough  or  blow  a  tin  horn  loud  enough  in 
order  to  hive  it  according  to  one's  wish.  The  Speaker- 
ship,  however,  so  far  from  being  a  swarm  of  bees  is  more 
like  a  flock  of  blackbirds,  and  the  system  to  which  you 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP         75 

incline  would  prove  the  readiest  means  of  frightening 
away  our  every  chance.  In  short,  you  must  work  by 
my  orders  and  meet  no  one,  say  nothing,  except  as  I 
direct." 

Then  Senator  Hanway  sent  Mr.  Harley,  much  modi 
fied  of  his  vigor,  with  a  secret  invitation  to  Mr.  Frost; 
when  that  personage  was  brought  to  the  privacy  of 
the  Harley  house,  he  laid  open  to  his  ambition  those 
gavel  prospects  which  he,  Senator  Hanway,  had  al 
ready  constructed  in  his  thoughts. 

There  was  no  conflict  of  argument  with  Mr.  Frost; 
he  rose  to  the  suggestion  like  a  bass  to  a  fly.  Know 
ing  himself  to  be  of  a  genius  too  openly  bluff  and 
frank,  and  no  one  to  conquer  those  elements  which  his 
campaign  would  require,  he  put  himself  in  the 
hollow  of  Senator  Hanway's  hand  to  be  controlled  by 
him  with  shut  eyes.  This  voluntary  prompt  submis 
sion  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Frost  had  a  further  subduing 
effect  upon  Mr.  Harley.  In  imitation  thereof  he,  too, 
began  to  speak  in  whispers  and  step  with  care,  and 
ask  his  eminent  relative  for  orders  in  all  he  went 
about. 

Now  when  Senator  Hanway  had  trained  his  partner 
and  his  candidate  to  come  to  heel  he  began  to  unravel 
his  diplomacy.  By  his  suggestion,  Mr.  Frost  took 
into  confidence  two  of  his  party  colleagues  in  the 
House.  These  would  on  every  occasion  act  as  his 


*76  THE  PRESIDENT 

agents  or  lieutenants.     Senator  Hanway  and  Mr.  Har- 
ley  were  not  to  appear  too  obviously. 

Senator  Hanway,  lying  back  in  the  dark,  looked 
over  the  field  and  sent  those  two  lieutenants  variously 
to  a  score  of  members.  These  were  sounded  on  the 
engaging  topic  of  committee  chairmanships,  and  one  by 
one  such  coigns  of  congressional,  not  to  say  personal, 
advantage  as  the  heads  of  Ways  and  Means,  the  Ap 
propriations,  the  Foreign  Affairs,  the  Naval,  the  Mili 
tary  and  a  number  of  other  great  sub-bodies  were  dis 
posed  of — bartered  away  on  the  contingency  always 
of  Mr.  Frost's  selection  to  be  the  Speaker.  The  entire 
House  was  laid  off  into  lots  like  real  estate  and  sold, 
the  purchaser  promising  his  vote  and  influence  in  the 
party  caucus,  taking  therefor  a  verbal  contract  to 
give  him  the  committee  place  he  preferred. 

This  labor  of  an  advance  partition  of  the  spoils  and 
the  linking  of  every  possible  faction  with  the  campaign 
of  Mr.  Frost,  was  concluded  about  a  fortnight  prior 
to  Mrs.  Harley's  dinner  to  Mr.  Gwynn.  As  Senator 
Hanway  ran  his  experienced  eye  over  the  list  and 
counted  the  noses  of  Mr.  Frost's  array,  he  saw  that 
it  was  not  enough.  The  pontoon  would  not  reach; 
there  was  still  a  wide  expanse  of  water  between  his 
candidate  and  the  coveted  Speakership.  As  matters 
rested,  and  every  morsel  of  House  patronage  disposed 
of  to  this  hungry  one  or  that,  the  enemy,  Mr.  Hawke 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        77 

— being  doubly  the  enemy  for  that  he  was  become  an 
open  supporter  of  Governor  Obstinate  and  made  no 
secret  that  his  candidacy  for  the  Spcakership  was 
meant  to  be  a  step  towards  making  that  gentleman 
President — -would  still  rise  victorious  in  caucus  by  full 
forty  votes. 

Senator  Hanway's  anxious  wits  were  driven  hard. 
He  had  drawn  to  Mr.  Frost  every  splinter  of  power  he 
could  command  by  barter,  and  thrown  in  his  own 
State  delegation  in  the  House  by  sheer  stress  of  that 
machine  which  he  had  upreared  for  his  own  de 
fense  at  home.  It  was  not  enough;  even  the  sub 
traction  of  two  State  delegations  from  the  standards 
of  the  foe,  by  the  adroit  scheme,  applied  to  each  delega 
tion,  of  dragging  one  of  its  members  forward  to  be  a 
candidate  for  Speaker,  was  not  enough.  After  ten 
months  of  labor,  Senator  Hanway  went  over  the  result 
and  could  read  nothing  therein  save  failure.  And  it 
was  like  an  icicle  through  his  heart;  for  aside  from 
what  advantage  the  control  of  the  House  might  give 
his  own  ambitions,  he  knew  beyond  question  that  with 
the  gavel  in  the  fingers  of  a  professed  partisan  of  Gov 
ernor  Obstinate,  the  latter  thick,  yet  fortunate,  individ 
ual  would  occur  as  the  next  Presidential  candidate  of 
his  party  so  surely  as  the  sun  came  up  on  a  convention 
morning. 

Senator  Hanway  was  in  this  valley  of  gloom  when 


78  THE  PRESIDENT 

he  heard  of  Mr.  Gwynn.  It  was  Mr.  Harley,  ever 
hrisk  in  railway  matters,  who  told  him  of  that  gentle 
man  as  the  Colossus  of  the  Anaconda  Airline. 

"  He  holds  no  offices  in  the  management  of  the  com 
pany,"  explained  Mr.  Harley,  "  but,  being  millions 
upon  millions  a  majority  shareholder  his  least  word  is 
Anaconda  Airline  law." 

Senator  Hanway  did  not  have  to  be  told  of  the  in 
fluence  of  railways  in  the  destinies  of  his  country.  He 
glanced  up  at  a  map  on  the  wall;  there  he  could  see 
the  nation  caught  like  some  great  clumsy  fish  in  a  very 
seine  of  railways.  He  traced  the  black,  thread-like 
flight,  from  seaboard  to  seaboard,  of  the  Anaconda 
Airline.  Then  he  made  a  calculation.  The  Anaconda 
Airline  was  the  political  backbone,  first  one  State  and 
then  another,  of  forty  House  members,  twenty-three 
of  whom  being  of  his  own  complexion  of  politics,  would 
have  a  caucus  vote.  Of  the  twenty-three,  luck  upon 
good  luck !  twenty  belonged  to  Mr.  Hawkc.  If  Sen 
ator  Hanway  might  only  get  the  Anaconda  Airline  to 
crack  the  thong  of  its  authority  over  these  recal 
citrants,  they  could  be  whipped  into  the  Frost  traces. 
Not  one  would  dare  defy  an  Anaconda  order;  it  would 
be  political  hari-kari.  At  this  point  our  wily  Senator 
Hanway  began  laying  plans  to  bring  Mr.  Gwynn 
within  his  reach ;  it  was  in  deference  to  those  plans  that 
our  solemn  capitalist  found  himself  upon  Mrs.  Han- 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        79 

way-Harley's  hospitable  right  hand  on  that  evening  of 
the  dinner,  with  his  severe  legs  outstretched  beneath 
the  Harley  mahogany. 

"  I  will  see  you  to-morrow — with  your  permission," 
observed  Senator  Hanway,  as  he  parted  with  Mr. 
Gwynn. 

When  Mr.  Gwynn  returned  from  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley's  he  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  told 
Richard,  word  for  word,  all  that  had  taken  place.  The 
latter  young  gentleman  was  in  a  prodigious  good  humor. 
For  the  first  time  in  his  life  he  had  done  a  day's  work, 
being  the  twenty -five  hundred  word  story  written  and 
dispatched  to  the  Daily  Tory,  and  that  was  one 
reason  for  joy.  Besides,  there  was  the  manager's  wire 
of  praise — and  Richard  thought  it  marked  a  weakness 
in  him — that,  too,  had  warmed  the  cockles  of  his  heart. 
Being  in  good  humor,  he  listened  without  interrupting 
comment  to  the  rasping,  parrot  tones  of  Mr.  Gwynn 
while  that  gentleman,  without  inflection  or  emphasis  or 
slightest  shade  of  personal  interest,  told  the  tale  of  the 
night's  adventures,  from  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  flat 
tery  and  Mr.  Harley's  song,  to  Senator  Hanway's  last 
handclasp  and  that  parting  promise  of  a  call. 

"  And  that  is  all,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn,  at  the  close, 
coughing  apologetically  behind  his  palm  as  though 
fearful  of  criticism. 

"  You   did  well,"   was   Richard's   response.     "  When 


80  THE  PRESIDENT 

Senator  Hanway  calls  to-morrow,  introduce  me  to  him 
at  once.  After  that,  I  shall  talk  and  you  will  ac 
quiesce.  You  may  go." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  Very  good,  sir ! "  said  Mr. 
Gwynn. 

Mr.  Gwynn  received  Senator  Hanway  in  his  library; 
Richard  was  present,  considering  the  world  at  large 
from  a  window. 

"  And  first  of  all,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn,  after  greeting 
Senator  Hanway,  "  and  first  of  all,  let  me  introduce  to 
your  notice  Mr.  Storms.  I  may  say  to  you,  sir,  I 
have  confidence  in  Mr.  Storms ;  I  act  much  by  his  ad 
vice."  And  here  Mr.  Gwynn  looked  at  Richard  as 
though  appealing  for  corroboration. 

Senator  Hanway,  from  whose  nimble  faculties  noth 
ing  escaped,  noted  this  appeal.  He  thought  the  less 
of  it,  since  Mr.  Harley  had  given  him  some  glint  of 
the  measureless  millions  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  he  deduced 
from  this  stiff  turning  towards  Richard,  this  brittle  def 
erence,  nothing  save  a  theory  that  Mr.  Gwynn,  by 
virtue  of  his  tremendous  riches,  had  grown  too  great  to 
do  his  own  listening  and  thinking.  It  was  as  plain,  as 
it  was  proper,  that  he  should  hire  them  done,  precisely  as 
he  hired  a  groom  for  his  horses  or  a  valet  to  superintend 
his  clothes.  Senator  Hanway,  himself,  was  at  bottom 
impressed  by  nothing  so  much  as  money,  and  was  quite 
prepared  to  believe  that  one  of  the  world's  wealthiest  men 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        81 

— for  such  he  understood  to  be  the  case  of  Mr.  Gwynn 
— would  prove  in  word  and  deed  and  thought  a  being 
wholly  different  from  everyone  about  him.  Where 
fore,  his  heaped  millions  accounted  in  Mr.  Gwynn  for 
what  otherwise  might  have  been  considered  by  Senator 
Hanway  as  queernesses. 

To  add  to  this,  Mr.  Gwynn  was  of  a  certain  select 
circle  of  English  exclusives ;  Senator  Hanway  had 
learned  that  much  from  his  sister,  Mrs.  Hanway-Har- 
ley.  It  was  to  be  expected  then  that  he  would  have 
someone  about  him  to  furnish  brains  for  his  delibera 
tions,  and  to  make  up  his  mind  as  a  laundress  makes  up 
shirts.  Senator  Hanway,  knowing  these  things  of  Mr. 
Gwynn,  was  in  no  wise  surprised  that  he  possessed  in 
his  service  one  who  was  hearer,  talker,  and  decider,  just 
as  ancient  kings  kept  folk  about  whose  business  was  to 
make  witty  retorts  for  them  and  conduct  sparkling 
conversations  in  their  stead,  they  themselves  being  too 
ro}'al  for  anything  so  much  beneath  that  level  of  ex 
alted  inanity,  which  as  all  men  know  is  the  only  proper 
mark  of  princely  minds.  Something  of  this  raced  hit 
or  miss  through  Senator  Hanway's  thoughts,  as  Mr. 
Gwynn  presented  Richard  and  then  relapsed — hinge  by 
hinge  as  though  his  joints  were  rusty  with  much  aristo 
cratic  unbending — into  a  chair. 

Richard  gave  him  no  space  to  dwell  upon  the 
phenomenon.  He  came  forward  with  a  little  atmos- 


82  THE  PRESIDENT 

phere  of  deference ;  for  Richard  had  his  own  deep  de 
signs.  Then,  too,  Senator  Hanway  was  white  of  hair 
and  twice  his  age,  to  say  nothing  of  being  a  certain 
young  lady's  uncle. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn  has  told  me  of  you,"  said  he.  Then 
pushing  straight  for  the  point  after  methods  of  his  own, 
he  continued :  "  What  is  it  the  Anaconda  Airline  can 
do?  Mr.  Gwynn  is  quite  convinced,  from  what  he  has 
been  told  of  those  positions  you  have  from  time  to  time 
assumed  in  the  Senate,  that  his  own  interest  with  that 
of  every  railway  owner  lies  in  following  your  leader 
ship.  Indeed,  I  think  he  has  decided  to  adopt  what 
ever  suggestion  you  may  make."  Richard  glanced  to 
wards  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  that  great  man  gave  his  man 
darin  bow. 

Senator  Hanway,  while  smitten  of  vague  amaze 
ment  at  Mr.  Gwynn's  acquiescent  spirit,  accepted  it 
without  pause.  However  marvelous  it  might  be,  at 
least  he  himself  ran  no  risk.  More  than  that,  on  second 
thought  it  did  not  occur  to  him  as  so  peculiarly  unusual ; 
a  Senator  in  a  measure  becomes  inured  to  the  wondrous. 

Senator  Hanway  did  not  reply  directly  to  Richard's 
query.  Direct  replies  were  not  the  habit  of  this  prac 
ticed  one.  He  made  a  speech  full  of  flattering  gener 
alities.  He  spoke  of  Richard's  connection  with  the 
Dally  Tory,  and  expanded  upon  the  weight  and  influ 
ence  of  that  journal.  Also,  with  a  beaming  albeit 


FIGHTING   FOR   A   SPEAKERSHIP         83 

delicate  patronage  which  Richard  stomached  for  rea 
sons  of  his  own,  he  intimated  complimentary  things  of 
Richard  himself  and  seemed  to  congratulate  the 
Daily  Tory,  on  the  services  of  one  so  keen,  so 
sure,  so  graphic ;  which  last  was  the  more  kind,  since 
Senator  Hanway  could  have  known  no  single  reason 
for  assuming  anything  of  the  sort.  He  told  Richard 
that  he  hoped  to  see  him  personally  every  day.  Here 
Richard  broke  in  on  the  Senatorial  flow  to  ask  if  he 
might  wait  upon  Senator  Hanway  every  morning  at 
eleven. 

"  For  I  am  warned  by  Mr.  Gwynn,"  explained  Rich 
ard,  with  an  alert  mendacity  which  would  have  done 
honor  to  Senator  Hanway  himself,  "  that  he  will  hold 
anything  short  of  calling  upon  you  once  a  day  as  bare 
faced  neglect  of  his  interests." 

"  Certainly,  sir ;  most  barefaced ! "  creaked  Mr. 
Gwynn,  giving  the  mandarin  bow. 

Senator  Hanway  would  be  graciously  pleased  to  see 
Richard  every  morning  at  eleven.  Also,  he  would  aid 
him,  as  far  as  was  proper,  with  a  recount  of  what 
gusts  and  windy  currents  of  news  were  moving  in  the 
upper  ethers  of  government. 

Then,  having  been  polite,  Senator  Hanway  got 
down  to  business  and  stated  that  Mr.  Frost,  if  Speaker, 
would  favor  a  certain  pooling  bill,  much  desired  by 
railways,  and  particularly  dear  to  the  Anaconda  Air- 


84  THE  PRESIDENT 

line.  On  the  obdurate  other  hand,  Mr.  Hawke  was  an 
enemy  to  pooling  bills  and  railways.  Mr.  Gwynn's  in 
terest  was  plainly  with  Mr.  Frost. 

"  Not  that  I  care  personally  for  the  success  of  Mr. 
Frost,"  remarked  Senator  Hanway,  "  but  I  know  how 
the  railways  desire  that  pooling  bill,  and  how  that  pool 
ing  bill  is  a  darling  measure  with  Mr.  Frost." 

"  Which  brings  us  back,"  observed  Richard,  who 
never  took  his  eye  off  a  question,  once  put,  until  he 
saw  it  mated  with  an  answer,  "  to  Mr.  Gwynn's  first 
interrogatory :  What  can  the  Anaconda  Airline  do  ?  " 

Senator  Hanway  explained.  The  Anaconda  Airline 
could  press  down  the  weights  of  its  influence  upon  those 
twenty-three  members.  The  Anaconda  influence  might 
better  be  exerted  through  its  President  and  General 
Attorney,  and  perhaps  what  special  attorneys  were  local 
to  the  congressional  districts  of  those  twenty-three. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,"  observed  Richard,  "  anticipated 
something  of  the  kind,  and  I  think  is  prepared  to  re 
quest  those  officers  you  name  to  come  to  Washington." 

"  They  shall  be  requested,  sir ;  certainly,  sir," 
rasped  Mr.  Gwynn.  Richard's  words  seemed  ever  to 
reverberate  in  Mr.  Gwynn's  noble  interior  as  in  a 
cavern,  and  thereafter  to  issue  forth  by  way  of  his 
mouth  in  the  manner  of  an  echo.  "  Certainly,  sir ; 
they  shall  be  requested,"  repeated  the  cavernous  Mr. 
Gwynn. 


FIGHTING  FOR  A   SPEAKERSHIP        85 

"  Now  this  is  highly  gratifying,"  said  Senator  Han- 
way.  "  And  you  will  have  them  call  upon  me,  too, 
I've  no  doubt.  You  should  wire  them  at  once;  the 
caucus,  you  know,  isn't  ten  days  away ;  Congress  con 
venes  on  the  first  Monday  of  next  month." 

Senator  Hanway,  being  of  a  quick  intelligence,  had 
by  this  time  found  his  rightful  line.  He  divided  him 
self  fairly ;  for  he  gave  his  entire  conversation  to  Rich 
ard  while  he  conferred  upon  Mr.  Gwynn  his  whole  re 
spect.  In  good  truth,  the  less  Mr.  Gwynn  said  and 
the  less  he  seemed  to  hear  and  understand,  the  more 
Senator  Hanway  did  him  honor  in  his  heart.  The 
rigid  witlessness  of  Mr.  Gwynn  fairly  came  over  him 
as  the  token  and  sign  of  an  indubitable  nobility,  and 
it  was  with  a  feeling  treading  upon  reverence  for 
that  wonderful  man  that  Senator  Hanway  arose  to  go. 

"  I  am  much  refreshed  by  this  interview,"  said  he, 
taking  Mr.  Gwynn's  hand  and  shaking  it  pump-handle- 
wise.  "  Your  help  should  insure  Mr.  Frost's  success. 
With  Mr.  Frost  Speaker,  railway  interests  will  be  safe 
guarded.  And,"  continued  Senator  Hanway,  quoting 
from  one  of  his  Senate  speeches,  lifting  his  voice  the 
while,  and  falling  into  a  fine  declamatory  pose,  "  he  who 
safeguards  the  railroads,  safeguards  his  country.  Pa 
triotism  cannot  count  the  debt  the  nation  owes  the  rail 
roads.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  knitting  together  of 
the  country  by  the  railroads,  bringing  into  closer  touch 


86  THE  PRESIDENT 

with  one  another  the  West  and  the  East,  the  South  and 
the  North — the  wiping  out  of  sectionalism — the  anni 
hilation  of  special  interests  by  making  all  interests  gen 
eral — all  done  by  the  railroads,  sir! — this  country, 
broken  across  the  knee  of  mountain  ranges  and  sawed  into 
regions  by  great  rivers,  would  ere  this  have  been  frit 
tered  into  fragments ;  and  where  we  have  now  the  glori 
ous  United  States — a  free  and  unified  people — Europe, 
who  envies  as  well  as  fears  us,  would  be  gratified  by 
the  spectacle  of  four  and  perhaps  a  half  dozen  differ 
ent  and  differing  countries,  each  alien  and,  doubtless, 
each  hostile  to  the  others."  Senator  Hanway  had 
reached  the  door.  "  And  that  this  condition  of  dis- 
sevcrment  does  not  exist,"  cried  he,  as  he  bowed  with 
final  grace  to  Mr.  Gwynn,  who  approved  stonily,  "  is 
due  to  you,  sir ;  and  to  gentlemen  like  you ;  and  to  those 
railways  which,  like  the  Anaconda  Airline,  form  the  ties 
that  bind  us  safe  against  such  dismembering  possibil 
ities  and  give  us,  for  war  or  for  peace,  absolute  coher 
ency  as  a  commonwealth." 


CHAPTER  V 

HOW    RICHARD    WAS    TAUGHT    MANY    THINGS 

R CHARD  went  every  day  at  eleven  for  a  brief 
conference  with  Senator  Hanway.  The 
latter  was  no  wise  backward  in  his  use  of 
the  columns  of  the  Daily  Tory.  There  are  so  many 
things  concerning  both  men  and  measures  that  states 
men  want  said,  and  which,  because  of  their  modesty, 
they  themselves  hesitate  to  say,  that  Senator  Hanway, 
when  now  through  Richard  he  might  tell  this  story  of 
politics  or  declare  that  proposal  of  state,  and  still  keep 
his  own  name  under  cover,  discovered  in  the  Daily  Tory 
a  source  of  relief.  So  much,  in  truth,  did  Senator 
Hanway,  by  way  of  Richard  and  the  Daily  Tory,  con 
tribute  to  the  gayety  of  the  times,  that  the  editor-in- 
chief  was  duly  scandalized.  He  aroused  himself  on  the 
third  evening,  killed  Richard's  dispatch,  and  rebuked 
that  earnest  journalist  with  the  following: 

"  Send  news ;  nothing  but  news.  No  one  wants  your 
notion  of  the  motives  of  representatives  in  fight  over 
Speakership." 

This  led  to  a  word  or  two  between  Richard  and  Mr. 
Gwynn,  the  upcome  being  a  wire  from  Mr.  Gwynn 

37 


88  THE  PRESIDENT 

to  the  editor  desiring  him  on  all  occasions  and  without 
alteration  or  addition  to  print  Richard's  dispatches. 
The  editor  in  retort  reminded  Mr.  Gwynn  that  the 
Daily  Tory  had  a  reputation  and  a  policy:  also  there 
were  laws  of  libel.  Mr.  Gwynn  declined  to  be  moved 
by  these  high  considerations,  and  reiterated  his  first 
command.  After  that  Richard  in  each  issue  gave  way 
to  an  unchecked  column  letter,  which  was  run  sullenly 
by  the  editor  and  never  a  word  displaced. 

This  daily  letter,  signed  "  R.  S.,"  brought  Richard 
mighty  comfort ;  he  read  it  fresh  and  new  each  morning 
with  mounting  satisfaction.  Richard,  like  other  au 
thors,  found  no  literature  so  good  to  his  palate  as  his 
own ;  and  while  his  stories  looked  well  enough  when  he 
wrote  them,  the  types  never  failed  in  uncovering  charms 
that  had  escaped  his  ken.  These  were  complacent  days 
for  Richard  the  defective;  ones  to  nourish  his  self- 
love. 

Being  his  first  work,  and  performed  under  his  own 
tolerant  mastery,  with  none  to  molest  him  or  make  him 
editorially  afraid,  it  stood  scant  wonder  that  he  went 
about  the  subject  of  his  own  sleepless  self -congratula 
tions.  What  Richard  needed — and  never  knew  it — was 
dismissal  in  rapid  succession  from  at  least  four  news 
papers ;  such  a  course  of  journalistic  sprouts  would 
have  set  his  feet  in  proper  paths.  Under  the  circum 
stances,  however,  this  improving  experience  was  im- 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       89 

possible;  missing  the  benefits  thereof,  Richard  must 
struggle  on  as  best  he  might  without  a  bridle. 

It  was  fortunate,  when  one  remembers  his  blinded 
ignorance,  a  condition  aggravated  by  his  own  acute 
approval  of  himself,  that  Richard  had  a  no  more  radical 
guide  than  was  the  cautious  Senator  Hanway.  While 
that  designing  gentleman — the  Dally  Tory  turning 
the  stone — grinded  many  a  personal  ax — note  bene, 
never  once  without  exciting  the  sophisticated  wrath  of 
the  editor-in-chief — he  was  no  such  headlong  temper 
of  a  man  as  to  invite  the  paper  into  foolish  extrava 
gancies,  whether  of  statement  or  of  style.  As  the  bug 
under  the  chip  of  the  Dally  Tory's  Washington  corre 
spondence,  Senator  Hanway  was  neither  a  vindictive 
nor  yet  a  reckless  bug ;  and  the  paper,  while  it  became 
the  organ  of  his  ambitions,  made  some  reputational 
profit  by  the  very  melody  of  those  guarded  tunes  he 
ground. 

Richard,  you  are  not  to  suppose,  went  unaware  of 
those  employments  to  which  Senator  Hanway  put  him 
in  the  vineyard  of  his  policies.  He  realized  the  situa 
tion  and  walked  therein  with  wide  and  willing  eyes.  It 
served  his  tender  purpose;  it  would  take  him  to  the 
Harley  house  and  throw  him,  perchance,  into  the 
society  of  Dorothy  without  that  dulcet  privilege  being 
identified  as  the  true  purpose  of  his  call. 

One  cannot  but  marvel  that  Richard  should  be  at  the 


90  THE  PRESIDENT 

trouble  of  so  much  difficult  chicane.  It  is  strange  that 
he  should  so  entangle  what  might  have  been  the  simplest 
of  love  stories ;  for  you  may  as  well  know  here  as 
further  on  that,  had  Richard  laid  bare  the  truth  of 
himself,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  far  from  fencing  her 
daughter  against  him  and  his  addresses,  would  have 
taken  the  door  off  its  hinges  to  let  him  in.  But  Rich 
ard,  as  was  heretofore  suggested,  had  been  most  igno- 
rantly  brought  up,  or  rather  had  been  granted  no 
bringing  up  at  all.  Moreover,  in  the  sensitive  cynicism 
of  his  nature,  which  made  a  laugh  its  armor  and  was 
harsh  for  fear  of  being  hurt,  our  young  Democritus 
had  long  ago  bound  himself  with  vows  that  he  would 
accept  no  friendship,  win  no  love,  that  did  not  come 
to  him  upon  his  mere  and  unsupported  merits  as  a  man. 
In  his  own  fashion,  so  far  from  being  the  philosopher 
he  thought,  Richard  was  a  knight  errant — one  as  mad 
and  as  romantic  as  the  most  feather-headed  Amadis 
that  ever  came  out  of  Gaul :  and  so  he  is  to  make  him 
self  a  deal  of  trouble  and  have  himself  much  laughed 
at  before  ever  he  succeeds  in  slipping  through  the 
fingers  of  this  history  to  seek  obscurity  with  Dorothy 
by  his  side.  For  all  that,  it  is  Richard's  due  to  say 
that  his  "  R.  S."  letters  attracted  polite  as  well  as 
political  attention,  and  got  him  much  respected  and 
condemned.  Also  they  lodged  him  high  in  the  esteem 
of  Senator  Hanway,  who  discovered  daily  new  excel- 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       91 

lencies  in  him ;  and  this  came  somewhat  to  the  rescue  of 
Richard  one  day. 

Senator  Hanway  had  a  room  in  a  wing  of  the  Harley 
house  which  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  called  his  study.  It 
was  a  sumptuous  apartment,  furnished  in  mahogany 
and  leather,  and  a  bookcase,  filled  with  Congressional 
Records  which  nobody  ever  looked  at,  stood  against  the 
wall.  Here  it  was  that  Senator  Hanwray  held  his  con 
ferences  ;  it  was  here  he  laid  his  plans  and  brooded  them. 
When  Senator  Hanway  desired  to  meet  a  gentleman 
and  preferred  to  keep  the  meeting  dark,  this  study  was 
the  scene  of  that  secrecy.  In  such  event,  the  blinds 
were  drawrn  to  baffle  what  prying  or  casual  eye  might 
come  marching  up  the  street ;  for  in  Washington,  to 
see  two  men  conversing,  is  to  know  nine  times  in  ten 
precisely  what  the  conversation  is  about.  Commonly, 
however,  the  blinds  were  thrown  wide,  as  though 
the  study's  pure  proprietor  courted  a  world's  scru 
tiny. 

It  was  in  this  study  that  Richard  was  received  by 
Senator  Hanway.  There  was  an  outside  door ;  a  caller 
might  be  admitted  from  the  veranda  without  troubling 
the  main  portals  of  the  Harley  house.  To  save  the 
patience  of  that  journalist,  Senator  Hanway  called 
Richard's  attention  to  the  veranda  door,  and  commis 
sioned  him  to  make  use  of  it.  Senator  Hanway  said 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  subject  one  whom  he  valued  so 


92  THE  PRESIDENT 

highly,  and  who  was  on  such  near  terms  with  his  good 
friend,  Mr.  Gwynn,  to  the  slow  ceremony  which  at 
tended  a  regular  invasion  of  the  premises. 

Richard  thanked  Senator  Hanway,  although  he  could 
have  liked  it  better  had  he  been  less  thoughtfully  polite. 
Richard  would  have  preferred  the  main  floor,  with 
whatever  delay  and  formal  clatter  such  entrance  made 
imperative.  The  more  delay  and  the  more  clatter,  the 
more  chance  of  seeing  Dorothy.  It  struck  him  with 
a  dubious  chill  when  Senator  Hanway  suddenly  dis 
tinguished  him  with  the  freedom  of  that  veranda  door 
— a  franchise  upon  which  your  statesman  laid  flatter 
ing  emphasis,  saying  that  not  ten  others  had  been 
granted  it. 

This  episode  of  the  veranda  door  befell  upon  the 
earliest  visit  which  Richard  made  in  his  quality  of  cor 
respondent  of  the  Daily  Tory.  On  that  day,  being 
admitted  by  way  of  the  Harley  front  door,  Richard 
had  the  felicity  of  coming  in  with  the  before-mentioned 
daily  sheaf  of  roses.  Richard  and  the  blossom-bearing 
colored  youth  entered  together,  the  door  making  the 
one  opening  to  admit  both;  and  by  this  fortunate 
chance — which  Richard  the  wily  had  waited  around  the 
corner  to  secure — he  was  given  the  joy  of  seeing  and 
hearing  the  beautiful  Dorothy  gurgle  over  the  flowers. 

"  And  to  think,"  cried  Dorothy,  her  nose  in  the 
bosom  of  a  rose,  "  no  one  knows  from  whom  they  come ! 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       93 

Mamma  thinks  Count  Storri  sends  them.  It's  so  good 
of  him,  if  he  does !  " 

Dorothy's  head  was  bowed  over  the  flowers.  As  she 
spoke,  however,  her  blue  eye,  full  of  mischief,  watched 
Richard  through  a  silken  lock  of  hair  that  had  fallen 
forward. 

"But  you  don't  think  it's  Storri?"  cried  Richard 
dolorously. 

"  Oh,  no !  "  returned  Dorothy,  shaking  her  head  with 
wise  decision,  "  I  don't  think  it's  Count  Storri.  But  of 
course  I  wouldn't  tell  mamma  so ;  she  doesn't  like  to  be 
contradicted.  Still,"  and  here  Dorothy  looked  quite 
wistful,  "  I  wish  I  knew  who  did  send  them." 

Before  Richard  could  take  up  the  delicate  question 
of  the  roses  and  their  origin,  there  arrived  the  word  of 
Senator  Hanway  that  he  be  shown  into  the  study. 

"  Now  that  I'm  a  working  journalist,  Miss  Harley," 
said  Richard,  "  I  shall  be  obliged  to  see  your  uncle 
every  day." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  exclaimed  Dorothy,  with  a  fine  sym 
pathy  ;  "  how  hard  they  drive  you  poor  newspaper 
people !  " 

"  Still,  we  go  not  without  our  rewards,"  returned 
Richard. 

Then  observing  that  Senator  Hanway's  messenger 
— who  had  not  those  reasons  for  loitering  which  made 
slow  the  feet  of  Richard — was  already  halfway  down 


94  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  hall,  Richard  took  Dorothy's  small  hand  in  his, 
and,  before  she  knew  her  peril  or  might  make  an  effort 
to  avoid  it,  rapturously  kissed  the  fingers,  not  once, 
not  twice,  but  five  times.  The  very  fingers  themselves 
burned  with  the  scandal  of  it !  Following  this  deed  of 
rapine,  Richard  went  his  vandal  way ;  Dorothy's  face 
turned  a  twin  red  with  the  roses. 

Dorothy  said  nothing  in  rebuke  of  Richard,  and  it 
is  to  be  assumed  that  so  flagrant  an  outrage  left  her 
without  breath  to  voice  her  condemnation.  That  she 
was  disturbed  to  the  heart  is  sure,  for  she  went  instantly 
to  her  friend,  the  sibyl  of  the  golden  locks,  for  con 
ference,  confidence,  and  consolation. 

"  Wasn't  he  wretchedly  bold,  Bess  ?  "  said  Dorothy  in 
an  awe-stricken  whisper. 

"  Absolutely  abandoned !  "  said  Bess. 

Then  the  two  sat  in  silence  for  ten  impressive  seconds. 

"  Bess,"    remarked    Dorothy    tentatively,    "  suppose 
mamma  were  to  forbid  me  loving  one  whom  I  loved — 
Here  she  broke  down,  aghast. 

"  My  dear  Dorothy,"  cried  the  other,  surprised  into 
deepest  concern,  "  your  mother  didn't  see  him  kissing 
your  fingers,  did  she?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  Bess,"  said  Dorothy  hurriedly,  "  we  were 
quite  alone." 

"  You  foolish  girl,"  returned  Bess.  "  You  alarmed 
me!  " 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       95 

"  But  really,  Bess,"  persisted  Dorothy,  "  to  put  it 
this  way :  if  your  mamma  insisted,  would  you  give  way 
and  marry  a  man  you  didn't  love?  " 

"  You  mean  Count  Storri,"  replied  Bess.  "  Now, 
Dorothy,  listen  to  me.  In  the  first  place,  you  are  an 
arrant  hypocrite.  You  pretend  to  be  soft  and  power 
less  and  yielding,  and  to  appeal  to  me  for  counsel. 
And  all  the  time  you  are  twice  as  obstinate  as  I  am,  and 
much  less  likely  to  accept  a  man  you  don't  love,  or  give 
up  one  whom  you  love." 

"  Well,  Bess,"  said  Dorothy  defensively,  a  bit  stricken 
of  these  truths,  "  really,  I  want  your  opinions  on  mar 
riage." 

"  Oh,  that  is  it !  Then  snap  your  fingers  in  the 
teeth  of  command,  and  marry  no  man  whom  you  do  not 
love !  " 

"  But  the  man  you  love  might  not  want  you !  "  sighed 
Dorothy. 

"  The  man  you  love  will  always  want  you,"  declared 
Bess  with  firmness. 

"  How  sweet  you  are !  " 

"  And  as  for  parents  making  matches  for  their 
daughters,"  continued  Bess,  unmoved  of  the  tribute,  and 
speaking  as  one  who  for  long  had  made  a  study  of  the 
world's  domestic  affairs,  "  it  is  sure  to  lead  to  trouble 
and  divorce." 

"Is  it?"  asked  Dorothy,  appalled. 


96  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  It  is ! "  returned  Bess  with  a  sepulchral  air,  as 
though  pronouncing  doom.  Then,  mocking  Dorothy's 
serious  face  with  a  little  tumult  of  laughter,  she  went 
on :  "  There ;  it's  all  decided  now  the  way  you  wished. 
You  are  to  refuse  Count  Storri  and  marry  Mr.  Storms 
without  bestowing  either  care  or  thought  on  what 
Mamma  Harley  or  Papa  Harley  or  Uncle  Pat  may  say 
or  do  about  it." 

"  Really,  Bess,  how  much  better  you  have  made  me 
feel.  After  all,  there's  nobody  like  a  wise,  dear,  true 
friend!" 

"  The  value  of  such  a  friend  is  beyond  conjecture," 
returned  the  mocking  Bess,  reassuming  her  tones  of  the 
oracle. 

The  memory  of  Richard's  kisses  on  her  fingers  never 
left  Dorothy  all  that  day  and  all  that  night.  Those 
fortunate  little  fingers  seemed  translated  into  something 
rosily  better  and  apart  from  herself.  And  brow  and 
ears  and  eyes  and  cheeks  and  lips  went  envying  those 
lucky  fingers ;  and  in  the  end  the  lips  crept  upon  them 
and  kissed  them  for  having  been  kissed;  perhaps  with 
vague  thoughts  of  robbing  them  of  some  portion  of 
the  blissful  wealth  wherewith  they  had  been  invested, 
Richard,  being  male,  for  his  part  thought  the  less 
about  it,  and  went  simply  meditating  future  sweet  ag 
gressions.  And  that  shows  the  difference  between  a  man 
and  a  maid. 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       97 

Richard,  feeding  his  love  with  thoughts  of  Dorothy 
and  his  vanity  with  ink,  and  thereby  gaming  two 
mighty  reasons  for  living,  began  to  keep  earlier  hours. 
He  turned  out  at  nine  o'clock  instead  of  eleven  and 
twelve,  hours  which  had  formerly  matched  his  languid 
fancy.  These  energetic  doings  bred  alarm  in  both 
Matzai  and  Mr.  Pickwick,  evoking  snappish  protests 
from  the  latter,  who,  being  of  a  nocturnal  turn,  held 
that  the  day  was  meant  for  sleep.  On  the  morning 
after  he  had  been  honored  with  the  privilege  of  the 
veranda  door,  Richard  was  borne  upon  by  something 
akin  to  gloom.  This  feeling  went  with  him  from  bed 
to  bath,  and  from  bath  to  breakfast,  and  finally  walked 
with  him  all  the  way  to  the  Harley  house.  He  was  will 
ing  to  sacrifice  the  Daily  Tory  and  yoke  himself  per 
sonally  to  the  mills  of  Senator  Hanway's  designs ;  but 
he  must  see  Dorothy.  That  brightness  was  the  bribe, 
unspoken  and  unknown  to  all  save  himself,  that  had 
brought  him  into  Washington  and  these  sundry  and 
divers  plots  and  counterplots  of  state.  And  now  to  be 
cheated  through  the  polite  blunderings  of  a  gentleman 
who  was  so  engaged  in  considering  himself  that  he  had 
neither  time  nor  eyes  for  any  other !  Richard  swore 
roundly  in  mental  fashion  at  his  contrary  fate.  And 
yet  he  saw  no  way  to  better  the  situation ;  and  perforce, 
for  this  morning  at  least,  he  was  driven  to  push  the 
bell  of  the  veranda  door.  He  might  have  gone  about 


98  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  ceremony  with  more  cheer  had  he  known  how  he  was 
to  gain  an  ally  in  his  troubles;  one,  moreover,  whose 
aid  was  sure  to  prove  effective. 

As  Senator  Hanway's  black  messenger  ushered  Rich 
ard  into  that  statesman's  study,  the  radiant  Dorothy, 
perched  at  the  end  of  Senator  Hanway's  table,  was  the 
picture  that  greeted  his  eyes.  Our  radiant  one  sought 
to  stifle  her  effulgence  beneath  a  look  severe  and  prac 
tical.  This  expression  of  practical  severity  was  a  fail 
ure,  and  served  to  render  her  more  dazzling. 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind,"  quoth  Dorothy,  the 
moment  Richard  was  inside  the  door,  and  speaking  in 
the  loud,  dead-level  monotone  which  she  conceived  to  be 
the  voice  for  business  conversations  as  against  the  gig 
gling,  gurgling  ups  and  downs  of  conversations  purely 
social,  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  come  in  every 
morning  and  help  Uncle  Pat.  I'm  tired  of  being  a  use 
less  encumbrance." 

Delivering  which,  Dorothy  wore  the  resolved  manner 
of  a  new  Joan  of  Arc  who  had  come  seeking  fields  of 
politics  rather  than  those  of  war. 

"  And  I  have  been  of  use  to  you,  haven't  I,  Uncle 
Pat?  "  demanded  Dorothy. 

"  Of  measureless  use,  dear,"  said  Senator  Hanway. 
Then,  turning  to  his  secretary,  who  had  taken  a  score 
of  letters  shorthand  and  was  about  to  seek  his  own 
quarters  and  run  them  off  upon  the  typewriter :  "  Have 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS       99 

those  copied  by  three  o'clock  and  bring  them  here  for 
signature." 

Senator  Hanway  had  no  more  than  given  Richard 
good-morning  when  Senator  Loot  was  announced. 

"  He  won't  stay  long,"  said  Senator  Hanway ;  "  but 
while  he's  here,  dear,  won't  you  take  Mr.  Storms  into 
the  library  ? "  This  request  was  preferred  to  Dor 
othy. 

"  Yes,"  began  Dorothy,  when  she  and  Richard  found 
themselves  in  the  library,  and  nothing  to  interrupt  them 
but  the  distant  slumbrous  rumble  of  Senator  Loot. 
"  Yes,  I'm  going  to  help  Uncle  Pat.  And  I'm  going 
to  learn  how  to  be  a  newspaper  woman,  too.  I  think 
every  girl  should  be  capable  of  earning  her  own  living. 
Not  that  I  expect  to  be  obliged  to  do  so ;  but  it  is  best 
to  be  prepared."  Dorothy's  face  was  funereal,  as 
though  disasters,  clawed  and  fanged,  were  roaming  the 
thickets  of  the  future  to  spring  upon  her.  "  So  I  shall 
learn  the  newspaper  trade;  go  in  and  be  a  writer  as 
you  arc — only  not  so  brilliant — -and  then,  if  it  were 
necessary,  I  could  earn  my  own  way." 

Now  Richard  knew  these  industrious  resolutions  to 
be  the  veriest  webs  of  subterfuge.  Their  duplicity  was 
apparent,  and  they  were  spun  for  him.  Dorothy  owned 
no  thought  of  missing  his  morning  calls,  and  had  met 
Senator  Hanway's  courtesies  of  the  veranda  door  with 
a  move  in  flank.  The  news  cocked  up  the  spirits  of 


100  THE  PRESIDENT 

Richard  excessively,  and  gave  to  his  Farnese  shoulders 
an  insolent  swing  as  he  strutted  up  and  down  the  library. 
He  had  expected  Dorothy  to  reproach  him  for  the  soft 
violence  done  her  fingers ;  but  she  made  no  mention  of 
it.  Whereupon — in  such  manner  do  unchecked  iniq 
uities  multiply  upon  themselves — Richard  turned 
towards  her  with  a  purpose  of  again  outraging  those 
little  fingers  with  the  burden  of  a  fresh  caress.  The 
little  fingers,  grown  wary,  however,  were  in  discreet 
retirement  behind  Dorothy,  as,  with  her  back  to  the 
window,  she  stood  facing  him.  Defeated  in  his  cam 
paign  against  the  fingers  before  it  had  begun,  Richard 
was  driven  to  discuss  Dorothy's  work-a-day  resolves. 

"  Newspaper  work?     Do  society,  I  suppose?  " 

Richard  had  gottei  hold  of  the  idioms  of  the  craft, 
and  spoke  of  "  doing  society  "  as  though  reared  among 
the  types. 

"  No,  not  society,"  and  Dorothy  shook  her  head. 
"  I'd  pick  'em  to  pieces,  the  minxes ;  and  the  papers 
don't  want  that.  No,  I'm  going  to  learn  about  politics 
with  Uncle  Pat.  I  shall  write  politics.  You  must 
teach  me." 

Richard  said  he  would. 

"  Only  you  should  know,"  said  he,  "  that  I  need  a 
deal  of  teaching  myself." 

"  But  you  can  write ! "  cried  Dorothy,  her  hands 
emerging  from  their  retreat  to  clasp  each  other  in  a 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS     101 


glow  of  admiration.     "I've  read  your  lettto 
remind  me  of  Carlylc's  4  French  Revolution.'  ' 

This  staggered  Richard  ;  was  his  idol  laughing  at 
him?  A  glance  into  her  eyes  showed  only  a  darkened 
enthusiasm  ;  whereat  Richard  puffed  and  swelled.  Per 
haps  his  Daily  Tory  letters  did  have  the  rhetorical  tread 
of  the  Scotchman's  masterpiece.  In  any  event  it  was 
pleasant  to  have  Dorothy  think  so.  Before  he  could 
frame  his  modesty  to  fit  reply,  the  cumbrous  retreat  of 
Senator  Loot  was  overheard. 

"  Now  we  must  go  back,"  said  Dorothy. 

"May  I  have  a  rose?"  asked  Richard,  pointing 
to  his  blushing  consignment  of  that  day,  where  they 
luxuriated  in  a  giant  vase. 

"  Don't  touch  my  hands  !  "  cried  Dorothy  fiercely, 
whipping  them  behind  her. 

Richard  gave  his  humble  parole  that  he  would  not 
touch  her  hands.  Being  reassured,  Dorothy  pinned  a 
bud  in  his  lapel.  The  little  fingers  were  so  fondly  con 
fident  of  safety  that  they  made  no  haste  in  these  labors 
of  the  bud.  Their  confidence  went  unabused  ;  Richard 
adhered  to  his  parole  and  never  touched  them. 

"  I'm  glad  you  can  keep  y  out  promise  !  "  said  Doro 
thy,  pouting  from  pure  delight. 

Later,  the  pair  made  love  to  one  another  with  their 
eyes  across  the  dignified  desk  of  Senator  Hanway,  while 
that  statesman  told  Richard  matters  to  the  detriment  of 


102  THE  PRESIDENT 


-Si  canvass  for  a  Speakership  and  Governor 
Obstinate's  claims  upon  a  Presidency,  of  which,  through 
the  medium  of  the  Dally  Tory,  he  believed  the  public 
should  be  informed. 

"  My  dear  Dorothy,"  observed  the  sibyl  of  the 
golden  locks,  when  the  other  related  how  faithfully 
Richard  had  kept  his  compact  concerning  her  fingers, 
"  you  ought  never  to  make  a  man  promise  the  thing 
you  do  not  want.  They  are  such  dullards  ;  besides,  they 
have  a  passion  for  keeping  their  word." 

The  President  and  General  Attorney  and  thirty-two 
underling  attorneys  of  the  Anaconda  Airline,  in  accord 
with  Mr.  Gwynn's  request,  descended  upon  Washing 
ton.  The  thirty-two  underling  attorneys,  coming  to 
town  by  twos  and  threes,  were  amazed  when  they  found 
a  gathering  of  the  Anaconda  Airline  clans.  They  col 
lected  in  groups  and  clots  at  the  Shoreham,  the  Arling 
ton,  and  Willard's  to  discuss  their  amazement. 

The  President  and  General  Attorney,  if  they  were 
smitten  of  wonder,  concealed  it,  and  within  the  hour 
after  their  arrival  rang  the  doorbell  of  Mr.  Gwynn. 
They  were  ushered  into  a  room  the  tamed  splendors  of 
which  told  the  thorough  taste  that  had  conceived  it. 
Then  their  cards  went  up  to  Mr.  Gwynn. 

Word  came  back  that  Mr.  Gwynn  was  deeply  en 
gaged.  Would  the  President  and  the  General  Attorney 
of  the  Anaconda  Airline  call  again  in  an  hour?  The 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS     103 

President  and  General  Attorney  had  for  long  harbored 
a  theory  that  Mr.  Gwynn  was  the  greatest  man  on 
earth.  Now  they  knew  it;  the  fact  was  displayed  be 
yond  dispute  by  his  failure  to  instantly  see  them.  The 
President  and  General  Attorney  withdrew,  silent  in 
their  awe,  and  Mr.  Gwynn  dispatched  Matzai  to  find 
Richard. 

On  the  hour's  even  stroke,  the  President  and  General 
Attorney  were  again  at  Mr.  Gwynn's.  That  person 
age  was  still  unable  to  meet  them;  however,  he  sent 
Richard  with  written  excuses  for  his  absence  and  the 
suggestion  that  Richard,  speaking  in  his  place,  would 
put  them  in  possession  of  his  wishes. 

"  Mr.  Gw}Tnn  desired  to  say,"  observed  Richard, 
"  that  Anaconda  Airline  interests  deeply  depend  upon 
Mr.  Frost  for  Speaker." 

"  What  we've  said  from  the  beginning !  "  remarked 
the  President  to  the  General  Attorney. 

"  Precisely  what  we've  said !  "  observed  the  General 
Attorney. 

They  had  said  nothing  on  that  point ;  but  they  were 
too  well  drilled  in  their  own  interests  to  fail  of  complete 
coincidence  with  a  gentleman  who  could  call  a  special 
shareholders'  meeting,  elect  a  new  directory,  and  revise 
the  entire  official  family  of  the  Anaconda  Airline  within 
any  given  thirty  days. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn  asks  you,  then,"  said  Richard,  "  since 


104  THE  PRESIDENT 

you  and  he  agree  on  the  propriety  of  Mr.  Frost  for 
Speaker,  to  consult  with  Senator  Hanway." 

And  now  the  Anaconda  Airline  was  in  the  war  for  the 
House  gavel.  Under  the  supervision  of  Senator  Han- 
way,  it  brought  its  whole  smothering  weight  to  bear 
upon  the  Hawke  twenty  of  those  twenty-three  whose 
districts  it  dominated.  The  Hawke  twenty  wriggled 
and  writhed,  but  in  the  end  gave  way — all  save  a  rock- 
ribbed  quartette.  They  must  stay  by  the  standards 
of  Mr.  Hawke. 

"  Our  constituents  will  destroy  us  if  we  don't,"  said 
they. 

"  The  Anaconda  will  destroy  you  if  you  do,"  was  the 
blunt  retort  of  the  General  Attorney. 

The  four  stood  firm,  and  were  blacklisted  for  slaugh 
ter  at  the  polls  a  year  away,  at  which  time  they  were 
faithfully  knocked  on  the  head.  Sixteen  of  the  twenty 
went  over  to  Mr.  Frost ;  the  President  of  the  Anaconda 
Airline  came  out  in  an  interview  in  the  Dally  Tory  and 
said  that  the  shift  of  the  excellent  sixteen  was  a  pop 
ular  victory. 

It  was  two  days  before  the  caucus.  The  line-up  of 
forces,  Frost  against  Hawke,  Hanway  against  Obsti 
nate,  under  able  captains  went  vigorously  forward.  It 
pleased  Senator  Hanway  to  hear  that  the  Frost  for 
tunes  were  being  unexpectedly  served  by  the  volcanic 
Mr.  Hawke  himself.  That  gentleman  had  fallen  into 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS     105 

a  state  of  indignant  eruption ;  his  best  friends  could  not 
approach  him  because  of  the  smoke  and  flame  and  lava 
which  his  rage  cast  up. 

"  The  most  scoundrel  thing  I  ever  saw  in  Washing 
ton  is  that  I  am  made  to  fight  for  the  Speakership !  " 
cried  the  eruptive  Mr.  Hawke ;  and  this  fashion  of  out 
burst  does  not  help  any  man's  cause. 

To  steal  a  simile  from  a  dead  gentleman  who  stole 
from  others  in  his  day,  Mr.  Hawke  went  into  the  final 
battle  of  the  caucus  much  after  the  manner  wherewith 
a  horse  approaches  a  drum,  that  is,  with  a  deal  of 
prance  and  but  little  progress,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
wrong  end  foremost.  Even  then  the  count  of  Senator 
Hanway — a  cold-blooded  computation — gave  that  gavel 
to  the  violent  Mr.  Hawke.  So  much  for  being  a  House 
leader,  a  tariff  monger,  and  a  friend  of  Governor 
Obstinate. 

On  the  afternoon  before  the  caucus,  Senator  Hanway 
took  a  last  look  at  the  array.  Besides  Mr.  Hawke  and 
Mr.  Frost,  there  were  two  other  candidates,  Mr.  Patch 
and  Mr.  Swinger.  These  latter  had  been  sent  into  the 
lists  by  the  diplomacy  of  Senator  Hanway  to  hold  the 
delegations  from  their  States,  a  majority  whereof,  if 
released,  would  fly  to  Mr.  Hawke.  With  all  four  names 
before  the  caucus,  Mr.  Frost  would  lead  Mr.  Hawke  by 
two,  without  having  a  majority.  Eliminate  Mr.  Patch 
and  Mr.  Swinger,  however,  and  Mr.  Hawke  would  be 


106  THE  PRESIDENT 

chosen  by  a  majority  of  seven.  And,  while  the  battle 
might  be  made  to  stagger  on  through  forty  ballots, 
in  the  end  Mr.  Patch  and  Mr.  Swinger  must  perforce 
withdraw.  They  could  give  no  excuse  for  holding  on 
forever  in  a  fight  shown  to  be  hopeless.  Some  method 
must  be  devised  to  break  the  Hawke  alignment  or  in 
a  last  solution  of  the  situation  Mr.  Frost  would 
lose. 

Senator  Hanway  made  ready  to  play  his  last  card — 
a  card  to  which  nothing  short  of  the  desperate  turn 
of  events  would  have  caused  him  to  resort.  He  made 
a  list  of  eighteen  of  Mr.  Hawke's  supporters ;  he  picked 
them  out  because  they  were  nervous,  hysterical  souls 
whom  one  might  hope  to  stampede.  Senator  Hanway 
then  got  the  names,  with  the  home  addresses,  of  a  score 
of  the  principal  constituents  of  each  of  these  aspen, 
hysterical  gentlemen. 

A  telegraph  operator,  one  close-mouthed  and  of  a 
virtuous  taciturnity,  sat  up  all  night  with  Senator 
Hanway  in  his  study — the  night  before  the  caucus. 
There  was  none  present  but  Senator  Hanway  and  the 
wordless  telegraphic  one ;  the  former,  deeming  the  occa- 
tion  one  proper  for  that  cautious  rite,  drew  the  blinds 
closely. 

At  Senator  Hanway's  dictation,  the  taciturn  one  who 
had  been  so  fore-thoughtful  as  to  bring  with  him  en 
velopes  and  blanks,  wrote  messages  to  each  of  the  hys- 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS     107 

tcrical  eighteen,  about  twenty  to  a  man,  signing  them 
with  the  names  of  those  influential  constituents.  The 
messages  were  letter-perfect ;  in  each  instance,  the  mes 
sage  for  signature  bore  the  name  of  one  upon  whom  the 
member  who  would  receive  it  leaned  in  his  destinies  of 
politics.  No  two  were  worded  alike,  albeit  each  com 
manded  and  demanded  the  Speakership  for  Mr.  Frost. 
When  they  were  done,  nearly  four  hundred  of  them,  the 
taciturn  one  endowed  them  with  those  quirleyques  and 
symbols  and  hieroglyphics  which  belong  with  genuine 
messages,  and  finished  by  sealing  each  in  an  envelope 
properly  numbered  and  addressed.  Then  the  taciturn 
one  made  a  delivery  book  to  match  the  messages. 

"  There !  "  exclaimed  Senator  Hanway,  when  at  four 
in  the  morning  the  taciturn  one  tossed  the  last  forged 
message  upon  the  pile  and  said  that  all  were  done ; 
"  that's  finished.  Now  at  two  o'clock  put  on  a  mes 
senger's  uniform  and  come  to  the  Capitol.  It's  4  A.  M. 
now,  and  this  is  Saturday ;  the  caucus  convenes  at  two 
o'clock  sharp.  It  will  be  held  in  the  House  chamber. 
There  will  be  ten  ballots ;  I  have  arranged  for  that,  and 
Patch  and  Swinger  will  not  withdraw  before.  The  ten 
ballots  will  consume  two  hours  and  a  half — fifteen  min 
utes  to  a  roll  call.  After  they  have  gone  through  four 
roll  calls,  begin  to  send  in  these  messages ;  the  caucus 
officer  on  the  doer  will  sign  for  them.  Send  first  one 
to  each  member ;  then  two ;  then  four ;  then  five ;  then 


108  THE  PRESIDENT 

all  you  have.  Give  about  fifteen  minutes  between  con 
signments.  Have  you  got  my  plan?  " 

The  taciturn  one  nodded. 

"  Here  is  a  one-hundred-dollar  bill,"  observed  Senator 
Hanway,  "  for  your  night's  work.  Four  more  wait 
for  you  when  Mr.  Frost  is  declared  the  caucus  nomi 
nee." 

Saturday  afternoon ;  and  the  caucus  met  behind 
locked  doors.  It  was  a  mighty  struggle ;  now  and  then 
some  waifword  reached  the  outside  world  of  what 
Titan  deeds  were  being  done.  There  were  speeches, 
and  roll  calls ;  men  lost  their  heads  and  then  their  repu 
tations.  The  sixteen  threatened  of  the  Anaconda  Air 
line,  with  the  fear  of  political  death  upon  them,  voted 
for  Mr.  Frost.  Messrs.  Patch  and  Swinger  held  fast 
through  ballot  after  ballot,  keeping  their  delegations 
together,  while  the  Hawke  captains  pleaded  and  begged 
and  promised  and  threatened  in  their  efforts  to  make 
them  withdraw  and  release  their  followings  to  the  main 
battle.  Through  roll  call  after  roll  call  the  tally  never 
varied.  With  two  hundred  and  ten  members  voting, 
the  count  stood :  Frost,  ninety-two ;  Hawke,  ninety ; 
Swinger,  fifteen ;  Patch,  thirteen.  Of  the  twenty-eight 
who  voted  for  Messrs.  Patch  and  Swinger,  it  was  under 
stood  that  Mr.  Hawke  would  take  three-fourths  upon 
a  breakaway.  For  this  reason  the  Hawke  captains 
labored  and  moiled  with  Messrs.  Patch  and  Swinger  to 


fl 


I 


AT  TIIK  DOOR  OF  TIIK  CAUCUS  ROOM 


RICHARD  TAUGHT  MANY  THINGS      109 

withdraw  and  cast  those  twenty-eight  votes  into  the 
general  caldron. 

On  the  touch  of  three,  and  while  the  fourth  roll-call 
was  in  progress,  the  first  of  Senator  Hanway's  pre 
pared  messages  were  received  and  signed  for  at  the 
caucus  door.  Ten  minutes  later,  and  something  like 
forty  more  were  given  entrance.  During  the  sixth  roll 
call  sixty  messages  came  in,  and  a  rickety  little  repre 
sentative,  with  a  beard  like  a  goat  and  terror  tugging 
at  his  heart,  arose  and  changed  his  vote  to  Mr.  Frost. 
The  rickety  little  man  had  been  for  Mr.  Hawke,  and 
this  sudden  turning  of  his  coat  provoked  a  tempest  of 
cheers  from  the  Frosts  and  maledictions  from  the 
Hawkes.  A  dozen  men  of  both  factions  crowded  about 
the  little  rickety  man,  some  to  hold  him  for  Mr.  Frost 
and  others  to  drag  him  back  to  Mr.  Hawke.  The 
rickety  little  man  was  well-nigh  torn  in  two.  King 
doms  and  thrones  were  being  gambled  for  and  the 
players  were  in  earnest. 

In  the  height  of  the  uproar  over  the  rickety  little 
man,  two  more  of  the  flock  of  Hawke  arose,  and  with 
faltering  lip  stated  that,  by  the  demands  of  constituents 
whom  they  were  there  to  represent  and  whose  wishes 
they  dared  not  disregard,  they  would  also  change  their 
votes  to  Mr.  Frost.  The  cheers  of  the  Frosts  and  the 
curses  of  the  Hawkes  were  redoubled;  but  the  Frosts 
drowned  the  Hawkes,  since  it  is  one  of  the  admirable 


110  THE  PRESIDENT 

arrangements  of  Providence  that  men  can  cheer  louder 
than  they  can  curse. 

And  now  a  bevy  of  full  one  hundred  of  the  Hanway 
messages  came  through  the  door.  The  stampede  which 
started  with  the  rickety,  goat-bearded  little  man,  to 
include  the  duo  chronicled,  upon  a  seventh  roll  call  swept 
five  more  Hawkes  from  their  perches  and  gave  them 
over  to  Mr.  Frost.  More  messages,  more  changes ;  and 
all  to  finish  in  a  pandemonium  in  which  Messrs.  Patch 
and  Swinger  were  withdrawn,  and  Mr.  Frost  was  landed 
Speaker  by  the  meager  fringe  of  three.  Speaker  Frost 
it  was ;  and  everyone  conceded  that  a  staggering  blow 
had  been  dealt  the  Presidential  hopes  of  Governor  Ob 
stinate.  Senator  Hanway,  waiting  at  the  Senate  end 
for  news,  sighed  victoriously  when  word  was  brought 
him.  It  would  be  Speaker  Frost ;  and  now,  with  House 
and  Senate  his,  he  for  the  first  time  felt  himself  within 
sure  and  striking  distance  of  a  White  House. 


CHAPTER  VI 

HOW    STORRI    HAD    A    VIVID    IMAGINATION 

STORRI  had  no  more  of  moral  nature  than  has 
a  tiger  or  a  kite.     He  was  founded  upon  no 
integrity,  would  keep  faith  with  no  one  save 
himself.     Storri  was  not  a  moral  lunatic,  for  that  would 
suppose  some  original  morality  and  its  subversion  to 
insane  aims ;  rather  he  was  the  moral  idiot.    At  that,  his 
imbecility  paused  with  his  morals ;  in  what  a  world  calls 
business  he  was  notably  bright  and  forward. 

Storri  was  of  education,  had  traveled  wide  and  far, 
as  ones  of  his  predatory  stamp  are  prone  to  do,  and 
with  a  Russian  facility  for  tongues  spoke  English, 
German,  French,  and  half  the  languages  of  Europe. 
The  instinctive  purpose  of  Storri's  existence  was  to 
make  money.  To  him,  money  was  a  prey,  and  stood  as 
do  deer  to  wolves ;  and  yet,  making  a  fine  distinction,  he 
v.as  rapacious,  not  avaricious.  Avarice  includes  some 
idea  of  a  storekeeping  commerce  that  amasses  by  buy 
ing  for  one  dollar  and  selling  for  two.  Storri  would 
have  failed  at  that.  He  was  rapacious  as  the  pirate 
is  rapacious,  and  with  a  gambler's  love  for  the  uncer 
tain,  he  balked  at  anything  whereof  the  possible  profits 

111 


112  THE  PRESIDENT 

were  cut  and  dried.  He  wanted  to  win,  but  he  was  will 
ing  to  lose  if  he  must ;  and  above  all  he  distasted  the 
notion  of  a  limit.  Like  every  wild  thing,  Storri  shied 
at  a  fence  and  loved  the  wilderness.  While  Storri  knew 
nothing  of  honesty,  he  preferred  his  gold  on  legitimate 
lines.  This  leaning  towards  the  lawful  came  not  from 
any  bias  of  probity;  Storri  simply  wanted  to  be  safe, 
having  a  horror  of  chains  and  bolts  and  cages  and 
striped  garments. 

When  Storri  arrived  in  Washington,  he  came  from 
Canada  by  way  of  New  York.  The  year  before  he 
had  been  in  Paris,  and  was  something — not  for  long — 
of  a  figure  on  the  Bourse.  He  had  been  in  every  capi 
tal  of  Asia  and  Europe,  and  all  the  while  his  restless 
eye  sleepless  in  its  search  for  money. 

Gifted  with  an  imagination,  Storri  evolved  a  scheme. 
Starting  in  moderation,  it  grew  with  his  wanderings 
until,  link  upon  link,  it  became  endless  and  belted  the 
earth.  Storri's  imagination  was  like  a  tar  barrel ; 
accident  might  set  fire  to  it,  but  once  in  the  least  of 
flame  it  must  burn  on  and  on,  with  no  power  of  self- 
extinguishment,  until  it  burned  itself  out.  Or  it  was 
like  him  who,  given  a  halter,  straightway  takes  a  horse. 

It  is  the  theory  of  Europe  that  Americans  are 
maniacs  of  money.  European  conservatism  draws  a 
money-line  beyond  which  it  will  not  pass.  When  any 
man  of  Europe  has  a  proposal  of  business  too  big  for 


COUNT  STORMS  IMAGINATION        113 

the  European  mouth — wearing  its  self-imposed  half- 
muzzle  of  conservatism — that  promoter  and  his  proposal 
head  for  America.  It  was  this  which  gained  Washing 
ton  the  advantage  of  a  visit  from  Storri;  his  stop  in 
Canada — being  a  six-months'  stay  in  Ottawa — was  only 
preliminary  to  his  coming  here. 

While  his  own  people  of  Russia  drew  back  from  those 
enterprises  which  Storri's  agile  imagination  had  in 
train,  the  government  at  St.  Petersburg,  in  what  was 
perhaps  a  natural  hope  that  he  might  find  Americans 
more  reckless,  endowed  him  as  he  came  away  with  a 
guarded  pat  on  the  back.  The  St.  Petersburg  gov 
ernment  advised  its  representatives  in  America  to  intro 
duce  without  indorsing  Storri. 

Storri  was  by  no  means  wise  after  the  manner  of  a 
Franklin  or  a  Humboldt  or  a  Herschel ;  but  he  did  pos 
sess  the  deep  sapiency  of  the  serpent  or  the  fox.  He 
owned  inborn  traits  to  steal  and  creep  upon  his  prey 
of  money.  Being  in  Washington,  and  looking  up  and 
down,  he  was  quick  to  note  the  strategic  propriety  of  an 
alliance  with  Mr.  Harley.  Mr.  Harley  had  connec 
tions  with  American  millionaires ;  most  of  all,  he  was 
the  alter  ego  of  a  powerful  congressional  figure.  Storri 
could  talk  with  Mr.  Harley ;  Mr.  Harley  could  talk  with 
Senator  Hanway.  Since  Congress  would  be  required 
for  the  success  of  Storri's  plans,  this  last  was  to  be  of 
prime  importance. 


114  THE  PRESIDENT 

Because  Mr.  Harley  made  it  his  affectation  to  be 
boisterously  frank  and  friendly  upon  short  acquaint 
ance,  Storri  met  no  vexatious  delays  in  coming  to  an 
understanding  with  him.  You  are  not  to  assume  that 
Mr.  Harley  was  truthful  because  he  was  boisterous 
or  his  frankness  went  freighted  of  no  guile.  It  is 
commonest  error  to  believe  your  frankest  talker,  your 
greatest  teller  of  truth;  whereas,  in  a  majority  of  in 
stances,  the  delusive  garrulity  is  a  mask  or  a  feint, 
meant  only  to  cover  facts  and  screen  designs  of  which 
the  victim's  first  notice  is,  snap !  when  they  pin  him  like 
a  steel-trap.  Still,  Storri  entertained  no  risks  when  he 
broke  into  confidences  with  Mr.  Harley.  It  was  Mr. 
Harley  who  listened  and  Storri  who  talked ;  besides, 
Storri,  in  any  conflicting  tug  of  interest,  could  be  as 
loquacious  as  Mr.  Harley,  and  as  false.  It  was  dia 
mond  cutting  diamond  and  Greek  meeting  Greek.  Only, 
since  Storri  was  a  Count,  and  Mr.  Harley  one  upon 
whom  a  title  went  not  without  blinding  effect,  Storri 
had  a  fractional  advantage. 

Storri  and  Mr.  Harley  enjoyed  several  casual  talks; 
that  is,  Mr.  Harley  thought  them  casual,  although 
every  one  was  planned  by  Storri.  In  none  did  Storri 
unpack  his  enterprises ;  these  talks  were  feelers,  and  he 
was  studying  Mr.  Harley.  Storri  was  gratified  to  find 
Mr.  Harley,  by  native  trend,  as  rapacious  and  as  much 
the  gambler  as  himself.  Also,  he  observed  the  licking 


COUNT  STORRFS  IMAGINATION        115 

satisfaction  wherewith  Mr.  Harley  listened  to  every 
noble  reference ;  with  that,  Storri  contrived — for  his 
conversation — a  fashion  of  little  personal  Kingdom  on 
the  Caspian,  tossed  himself  up  a  castle,  and  entertained 
therein  from  time  to  time  about  half  the  royal  blood  of 
Europe;  all  to  the  marvelous  delight  of  Mr.  Harley, 
whom  Storri  never  failed  to  wish  had  been  a  guest  on 
those  purple  occasions. 

At  this  seductive  rate,  it  was  no  more  than  a  matter 
of  ten  days  before  Mr.  Harley  went  quoting  his  friend 
Storri ;  he  had  that  titled  Slav  to  dinner,  when  the  latter 
became  as  much  the  favorite  with  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
as  he  was  with  her  ruder  spouse. 

Storri  saw  Dorothy ;  and  was  set  burning  with  a  love 
for  her  that,  if  the  flame  were  less  pure,  was  as  instant 
and  as  devouring  as  the  love  to  sweep  over  Richard 
upon  the  boot-heel  evening  when  he  caught  her  in  his 
arms.  Storri  forgot  himself  across  table,  and  his  onyx 
eyes  were  riveted  upon  Dorothy  as  though  their  owner 
were  enthralled. 

Dorothy  felt  at  once  flattered  and  repelled.  She 
was  interested,  even  while  she  shuddered;  it  was  as 
though  she  had  been  made  the  object  of  the  sudden,  if 
venomous,  admiration  of  a  king-cobra. 

"  My  friend,"  purred  Storri,  one  afternoon  when  he 
and  Mr.  Harley  were  alone,  "  my  good  friend,  I  will  no 
longer  refrain  from  taking  you  into  my  confidence; 


116  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  when  I  say  that,  you  are  to  understand,  also,  into 
the  confidence  of  my  Czar." 

Storri  rested  his  head  in  his  hand  a  moment,  and 
seemed  to  ponder  the  propriety  of  what  he  was  about. 
Mr.  Harley  said  nothing,  but  sat  a-fidget  with  curi 
osity.  It  is  not  given  every  American  to  be  taken, 
via  a  Count  with  estates  on  the  Caspian,  into  the  con 
fidence  of  a  Czar. 

"  Yes,  into  the  confidence  of  rny  Czar,"  repeated 
Storri.  "  See  now,  my  friend,  I  will  lay  bare  my  soul 
to  you.  I  am  resolved  you  shall  be  with  me  in  my 
vast  adventure.  With  you — who  are  practical — who 
have  business  genius — my  dreams  will  become  realities. 
Without  you,  I — who  am  a  mere  poet  of  finance — an 
artist  of  commerce — would  fail.  I  have  genius  to  con 
ceive;  I  cannot  carry  out.  But  you — you,  my  dear 
friend,  are  what  you  call  executive." 

Mr.  Harley  felt  profoundly  flattered,  and  showed  it ; 
Storri  pushed  on,  watching  the  other  with  the  tail  of 
his  eye.  The  slant  survey  was  satisfactory;  Mr.  Har 
ley  showed  half  upon  his  guard  and  wholly  interested. 

"  I  have  conceived  projects  so  gigantic  the}7  will 
stagger  belief.  And  yet  they  are  feasible ;  you  will 
make  them  so.  You  will  take  them  and  girdle  the  earth 
with  them  as  Saturn  is  girdled  by  his  rings.  Observe 
now !  These,  my  designs,  have  the  good  wishes  of  my 
Czar ;  and  next  to  him  you  are  that  one  to  whom  they 


COUNT  STORRI'S  IMAGINATION        117 

are  first  told.  Why  do  I  come  so  far  with  my  dreams? 
I  will  tell  you ;  it  was  by  command  of  my  Czar. 

"  '  Storri,  you  must  go  to  America,'  were  his  words. 
*  You  would  only  stun  Europe ;  you  would  not  gain 
her  aid.  Go  to  America.  There,  and  there  only,  will 
you  find  what  you  require.  They,  and  they  of  all  men, 
have  the  courage,  the  brains,  the  money,  the  enterprise, 
and — shall  I  say? — the  honor  ! ' 

Having  quoted  his  Czar  in  these  good  opinions  of 
Americans,  Storri  rapidly  and  in  clearest  sequence  laid 
out  his  programmes.  Before  he  was  half  finished,  Mr. 
Harley  went  following  every  word  with  all  his  senses. 
Storri  was  lucid;  Storri  was  hypnotic;  Storri  had  his 
projects  so  faultlessly  in  hand  that,  as  he  piled  up 
words,  he  piled  up  conviction  in  the  breast  of  Mr. 
Harley. 

Storri  began  with  China.  Being  equipped  for  the 
conversation — which  had  not  been  so  much  the  result 
of  romantic  chance  as  Mr.  Harley  might  have  supposed 
— he  laid  upon  the  table  a  square  of  yellow  silk.  It  was 
written  over  with  Chinese  characters  which,  for  all  Mr. 
Harley  knew,  might  have  been  inscriptions  copied  from 
a  tea  chest.  As  a  matter  of  truth,  they  were  genuine. 
The  silk  was  the  record  of  a  concession  by  the  Chinese 
Government.  It  gave  Storri,  or  what  company  he 
might  form,  the  privilege  of  building  a  railway  across 
China  from  east  to  west.  He  might  select  his  port 


118  THE  PRESIDENT 

on  the  Pacific,  build  his  road,  and  break  into  Russia 
on  the  west  and  north  at  what  point  best  matched  the 
enterprise.  Also,  it  granted  a  right  to  buy  land 
wherever  it  became  necessary,  and  to  own  what  wharf 
and  water  rights  were  required.  Incidentally,  so  Storri 
said,  it  permitted  gold  digging. 

"  You  shall  take  it  to  the  Chinese  legation !  "  ex 
claimed  Storri.  "  They  shall  translate  for  you.  Yes ; 
it  gives  gold  rights.  Gold?  There  is  so  much  gold  in 
China  that  your  own  California  becomes  laughable  by 
comparison.  See  there,"  and  Storri  placed  a  little 
leathern  pouch  on  the  table.  "  There  are  three  ounces. 
Do  you  know  how  they  were  obtained?  I  spread  a 
blanket  in  the  bed  of  a  little  stream,  and  weighted  it 
with  stones  so  that  it  lay  flat.  Then  I  took  a  stick,  and 
tossed  up  the  mud  and  the  sand  of  that  little  stream, 
just  above.  The  muddy  water,  thick  as  paint,  flowed 
over  the  blanket.  In  thirty  minutes  I  took  my  blanket 
ashore,  and  washed  from  the  sediment  it  had  caught 
and  held  this  gold — three  ounces !  Bah !  Gold  ?  China 
is  the  home  of  gold!  But  China  and  these  concessions 
are  only  the  beginning." 

Storri  sketched  a  steamship  line  to  connect  his  Chi 
nese  railway  with  Puget  Sound.  For  this  they  ought 
to  have  a  subsidy  from  the  United  States.  From  Puget 
they  must  have  a  railway  to  Duluth.  On  the  Great 
Lakes,  Storri  would  have  a  line  of  steamships. 


COUNT  STORM'S  IMAGINATION        119 

"  Only,  we  will  improve  upon  those  lakes ! "  cried 
Storri.  "  It  was  that  to  carry  me  to  Ottawa." 

Then  Storri  unrolled  maps  and  reports  from  Cana 
dian  engineers  which  vouched  the  plausibility  of  a  ship 
canal  from  a  deep-water  point  on  that  eastern  arm  of 
Lake  Huron  called  Georgian  Bay  to  Toronto  on  Lake 
Ontario. 

"  It  shall  be  two  hundred  feet  wide,"  explained  Storri, 
"  and  thirty  feet  deep.  The  distance  is  less  than  one 
hundred  miles,  and  the  fall  less  than  one  hundred  feet. 
To  dig  it  will  be  child's  play ;  you  may  read  the  reports 
of  the  engineers;  they  show  how  advantage  may  be 
had  of  a  Lake  Simcoe,  and  of  a  little  river.  Here  also 
are  letters  and  guarantees  from  eminent  men  of  Canada 
that  their  parliament  will  permit  and  protect  the  canal. 
Less  than  one  hundred  miles  long;  and  yet  that  canal 
will  cut  off  seven  hundred." 

Once  in  Lake  Ontario  at  Toronto,  Storri's  boats,  by 
way  of  the  St.  Lawrence — which  might  have  to  be 
dredged  in  places — were  to  make  a  straight  wake  for 
St.  Petersburg,  touching  at  English,  French,  and  Ger 
man  ports.  The  ships  were  to  clear  in  Duluth  for  St. 
Petersburg ;  and  in  St.  Petersburg  for  Duluth.  They 
were  to  fly  the  American  flag;  that,  too,  should  mean 
a  subsidy.  Besides,  there  must  be  an  American  com 
mission  to  confer  with  a  Canadian  commission  touching 
the  canal. 


120  THE  PRESIDENT 

Once  in  St.  Petersburg,  Storri  would  have  the  aid  of 
his  own  country  in  whatever  might  be  necessary  to  carry 
him  to  the  western  terminus  of  his  Chinese  railway.  He 
had  writings  in  French  from  the  Czar's  government 
which  set  this  forth.  Only,  the  Russian  assurances  were 
made  contingent  upon  a  standing  army  of  "  Ifs." 
"  If  "  Storri  should  throw  a  railway  across  China ;  and 
"  if  "  he  should  launch  a  line  of  steamships  across  the 
Pacific — the  same  fostered  by  the  Washington  Govern 
ment  with  a  subsidy — and  "  if  "  all  and  singular  the 
railway  from  Puget  to  Duluth,  the  Canadian  Canal, 
and  the  line  of  steamships  from  Duluth  to  St.  Peters 
burg — also  with  a  subsidy — were  once  extant  and  in 
operation,  then  the  Czar  would  step  graciously  in  and 
see  what  might  be  done  in  forging  those  final  Russian 
railway  links  required  to  unite  the  ends  of  this  interest 
ing  chain. 

"  And  you  are  to  know,"  went  on  Storri,  "  that  my 
government,  the  St.  Petersburg  Government,  is  pater 
nal.  It  will  give  whatever,  in  the  way  of  land  rights 
and  loans,  is  demanded  by  the  exigencies  of  the  project. 

"  And  there,"  cried  Storri  in  conclusion,  as  he  shoved 
maps,  papers,  and  concessions,  Russian,  Canadian,  and 
Chinese,  across  to  Mr.  Harley,  "  is  an  idea  the  magnifi 
cence  of  which  the  ages  cannot  parallel!  It  is  simple, 
it  is  great !  We  shall  have  three-score  small  companies 
— that  is,  small  compared  with  the  grand  one  I  am  to 


COUNT  STORRI'S  IMAGINATION 

name.  We  shall  have  land  and  banking  and  lumber 
and  mining  and  railway  and  steamship  and  canal  com 
panies.  We  shall  have  companies  owning  elevators  and 
factories  and  stores  and  mills.  Each  will  employ  a 
capital  of  from  two  to  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 
Over  all,  and  to  own  the  stock  of  those  smaller  ones, 
we  must  throw  a  giant  company.  Do  you  know  what 
it  will  require?  Do  you  realize  what  its  capital  must 
be?  It  will  call  for  the  cost  price  of  an  empire,  my 
friend ;  it  will  demand  full  thirty  billions !  Think  of 
the  president  of  such  a  company !  He  will  have  rank  by 
himself;  he  will  tower  above  kings.  What  shall  we  call 
it?  Name  it  for  that  mighty  Portuguese  who  was  first 
to  send  his  ship  around  the  globe;  name  it  Credit 
Magellan !  " 

Mr.  Harley  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  forehead.  It 
was  a  day  in  October,  one  reasonably  cool,  and  yet, 
when  Storri  ended  with  his  Credit  Magellan  and  came 
to  a  full  stop,  Mr.  Harley  was  in  a  perspiration.  It 
was  those  thirty  billions  that  did  it.  Mr.  Harley  was 
no  stoic  to  sit  unmoved  in  the  presence  of  such  wealth, 
and  the  graphic  Storri  made  those  billions  real. 

When  Storri  had  done,  Mr.  Harley  gulped  and 
gasped  a  bit,  and  then  asked  if  he  might  retain  the 
armful  of  papers  for  further  consideration.  He  would 
like  to  go  over  them  carefully ;  particularly  those  Cana 
dian  reports  and  assurances  that  related  to  the  canal. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

"  My  dear,  good  friend,"  cried  Storri,  with  a  mag 
nificent  wave  of  the  hand,  "  you  may  do  what  you 
will!" 

There  are  men,  reckoned  shrewd  in  business,  whose 
shrewdness  can  be  overcome  by  ciphers.  It  is  as  though 
they  were  wise  up  to  seven  figures.  Mr.  Harley  was  of 
these ;  he  had  his  boundaries.  His  instincts  were  solvent, 
his  policies  sound,  his  suspicions  full  of  life  and  cour 
age,  so  that  you  went  no  higher  than  nine  millions. 
Burdened  beyond  that,  his  imagination  would  break 
down ;  and  since  his  instincts,  his  policies,  and  his  sus 
picions  rested  wholly  upon  his  imagination,  when  the 
latter  fell  the  others  must  of  need  go  with  it.  There  is 
a  depth  to  money  just  as  there  is  to  a  lake;  when  you 
led  Mr.  Harley  in  beyond  the  nine-million-dollar  mark 
he  began  to  drown.  When  Storri — Pelion  upon  Ossa 
— piled  steamship  on  railway,  and  canal  on  steamship, 
and  banking  and  lumber  and  mining  and  twenty  other 
companies  on  top  of  these,  Mr.  Harley  was  dazed  and 
benumbed.  When  Storri  concluded  and  capped  all  with 
his  Credit  Magellan,  capital  thirty  billions,  it  was,  so 
far  as  Mr.  Harley  is  to  be  considered,  like  taking  a 
child  to  sea.  In  the  haze  and  the  blur  of  it,  Mr.  Harley 
could  see  nothing,  say  nothing ;  his  impulse  was  to  be 
alone  and  collect  himself.  He  felt  as  might  one  who 
has  been  staring  at  the  sun.  Storri's  picture  of  an 
enterprise  so  vast  that  it  proposed  to  set  out  the  world 


COUNT  STORM'S  IMAGINATION 

like  a  mighty  pan  of  milk,  and  skim  the  cream  from 
two  hemispheres,  dazzled  him  and  caused  his  wits  to 
lose  their  way. 

At  the  end  of  three  days  Mr.  Harley  had  begun  to 
get  his  bearings ;  he  was  still  fascinated,  but  the  fog 
was  lifting.  Step  by  step  he  went  over  Storri's  grand 
proposals ;  and,  while  he  had  now  his  eyes,  each  step 
seemed  only  to  take  him  more  deeply  into  a  wilderness 
of  admiration.  That  very  admiration  filled  him  with 
a  sense  of  dull  alarm.  He  resolved  to  have  other  coun 
sel  than  his  own.  Were  he  and  Storri  to  embark  upon 
this  world-girdling  enterprise,  they  must  have  money- 
help.  He  would  take  the  project  to  certain  money- 
loving  souls ;  he  would  get  their  opinions  by  asking 
their  aid. 

Mr.  Harley  went  to  New  York  and  called  about  him 
a  quintette  of  gentlemen,  each  of  whom  had  been  with 
him  and  Senator  Hanway  in  more  than  one  affair  of 
shady  profit.  Mankind  does  not  change,  its  methods 
change,  and  trade  has  still  its  Kidds  and  Blackbeards. 
Present  commerce  has  its  pirates  and  its  piracies ;  only 
the  buccaneers  of  now  do  not  launch  ships,  but  stock 
companies,  while  Wall  and  Broad  Streets  are  their 
Spanish  Main.  They  do  not,  like  Francis  Drake,  lay 
off  and  on  at  the  Isthmus  to  stop  plate  ships ;  they  seek 
their  galleons  in  the  Stock  Exchange.  Those  five  to 
gather  at  the  call  of  Mr.  Harley  were  of  our  modern 


124  THE  PRESIDENT 

Drakes.  He  told  them,  under  seal  of  secrecy,  Storri's 
programme,  and  put  before  them  the  documents,  Rus 
sian,  Canadian,  and  Chinese. 

Mr.  Harley  felt  somewhat  justified  of  his  own  enthu 
siasm  when  he  observed  the  serious  glow  in  the  eyes  of 
those  five.  They  sent  to  Mott  Street,  and  brought  back 
a  learned  Oriental  to  translate  the  Chinese  silk.  The 
Mott  Street  one,  himself  a  substantial  merchant  and  a 
Mongol  of  high  caste,  appeared  wrapped  in  rustling 
brocades  and  an  odor  of  opium.  When  he  beheld  the  yel 
low  silk  he  bent  himself,  and  smote  the  floor  three  times 
with  his  forehead.  More  than  anything  told  by  Mr. 
Harle}'  did  this  profound  obeisance  of  the  Mott  Street 
Oriental  leave  its  impress  upon  the  five.  They,  them 
selves,  bowed  to  nothing  save  gold ;  the  silken  docu 
ment  must  record  a  franchise  of  gravity  and  money- 
moment  to  thus  set  their  visitor  to  beating  the  carpet 
with  his  head!  Having  done  due  honor  to  the  Em 
peror's  signature,  the  Mott  Street  one  gave  Mr.  Harley 
and  his  friends  the  silken  document's  purport  in  Eng 
lish.  It  granted  every  right,  railway,  wharf,  and  gold, 
asserted  by  Storri.  Then  Mr.  Harley  wired  that  noble 
man  to  join  them  in  New  York. 

Storri  had  not  been  informed  of  Mr.  Harlcy's  New 
York  visit.  But  he  had  counted  on  it,  and  the  summons 
in  no  wise  smote  him  with  surprise.  Once  with  Mr. 
Harley  and  the  adventurous  five,  Storri  again  went  over 


COUNT  STORRFS  IMAGINATION 

his  project,  beginning  at  the  Chinese  railway  and  clos 
ing  with  Credit  Magellan,  capital  thirty  billions.  Not 
one  who  heard  went  unconvinced ;  not  one  but  was  will 
ing  to  commence  in  practical  fashion  the  carrying  out 
of  this  high  financial  dream. 

It  was  the  romance — for  money-making  has  its  ro 
mances — and  the  adventurous  uncertainty  of  the  thing, 
the  pushing  into  the  unknown,  which  formed  the  lure. 
Have  you  ever  considered  that  nine  of  ten  among  those 
who  went  with  De  Soto  and  Balboa  and  Coronado  and 
Cortez  and  Pizarro,  if  asked  by  some  quiet  neighbor, 
would  have  refused  him  the  loan  of  one  hundred  dollars 
unless  secured  by  fivefold  the  value?  And  yet  the  last 
man  jack  would  peril  life  and  fortune  blindly  in  a 
voyage  to  worlds  unknown,  for  profits  guessed  at, 
against  dangers  neither  to  be  counted  nor  foreseen. 
Be  not  too  much  stricken  of  amazement,  therefore,  when 
now  these  cold  ones,  who  would  not  have  bought  an 
American  railroad  without  counting  the  cross-ties  and 
weighing  every  spike  and  fish-plate,  were  ready  to 
send  millions  adrift  on  a  sightless  invasion  of  Asia  ten 
thousand  miles  away.  Besides,  as  the  five  with  Mr. 
Harley  laid  out  their  campaign,  any  question  of  Ori 
ental  danger  was  for  the  present  put  aside. 

"  The  way  to  commence,"  said  one  of  the  five — one 
grown  gray  in  first  looting  companies  and  then  scut 
tling  thorn — "  the  way  to  commence  is  by  getting  pos- 


126  THE  PRESIDENT 

session  of  Northern  Consolidated.  Once  in  control  of 
the  railroad,  we  have  linked  the  Pacific  with  the  Great 
Lakes;  after  that  we  can  turn  to  the  matter  of  sub 
sidies  for  the  two  steamship  lines,  and  the  appointment 
of  those  commissions  to  consider  the  Canadian  Canal." 
Then,  turning  to  Mr.  Harley :  "  You,  of  course,  speak 
for  Senator  Hanway  ?  " 

Mr.  Harley  gave  assurance  that  Senator  Hanway, 
for  what  might  be  demanded  congressionally,  would  be 
with  him.  Then  they  laid  their  plotting  heads  together 
over  a  conquest  of  Northern  Consolidated. 

Under  the  experienced  counsel  of  the  old  gray  scuttler 
of  innocent  companies,  this  procedure  was  resolved 
upon.  Northern  Consolidated  was  selling  at  forty- 
three.  At  that  figure,  over  forty  millions  of  dollars 
would  be  required  to  buy  the  road.  There  was  little 
or  no  chance  of  its  reaching  a  higher  quotation  during 
the  coming  ninety  days ;  and  ninety  days  would  bring 
them  into  February  with  Congress  in  session  over  two 
months. 

No,  it  was  not  the  purpose  of  the  pool  to  buy 
Northern  Consolidated  at  forty-three;  those  gifted 
stock  osprcys  knew  a  better  plan.  They  would  begin 
with  a  "  bear  "  movement  against  the  stock.  It  was 
their  belief,  if  the  market  were  properly  undermined, 
that  Northern  Consolidated  could  be  sold  down  below 
twenty,  possibly  as  low  as  fifteen.  When  it  had 


COUNT  STORRI'S  IMAGINATION        127 

reached  lowest  levels  they  would  make  their  swoop. 
The  pool  would  have  enough  profit  from  the  "  bear  " 
movement  to  pay  for  the  road.  If  they  succeeded  in 
selling  Northern  Consolidated  off  twenty  points — and 
they  believed,  by  going  cautiously  and  intelligently  to 
work,  the  feat  was  easy — the  profits  would  equal  the 
purchase  sum  required. 

In  "  bearing  "  the  stock  and  breaking  it  down  to  a 
point  where  the  pool  might  seize  upon  the  road  without 
risk  or  outlay  on  its  own  intriguing  part,  the  potent 
Senator  Hanway  would  come  in.  At  the  beginning  of 
Congress  he  must  offer  a  Senate  resolution  for  a  special 
committee  of  three  to  investigate  certain  claims  and 
charges  against  Northern  Consolidated.  That  cor 
poration  had  long  owed  the  government,  no  one  knew 
how  much.  It  had  stolen  timber  and  stripped  mountain 
ranges  with  its  larcenies ;  also  it  had  laid  rapacious  paw 
upon  vast  stretches  of  the  public  domain.  It  was  within 
the  power  of  any  committee,  acting  honestly,  to  report 
Northern  Consolidated  as  in  default  to  the  government 
for  what  number  of  millions  its  indignant  imagination 
might  fix  upon.  Who  was  to  measure  the  road's  lumber 
robberies,  or  those  thefts  of  land?  Moreover,  the  vandal 
aggressions  of  Northern  Consolidated  made  a  reason 
for  rescinding  divers  public  grants — the  present  values 
whereof  were  almost  too  high  for  estimation,  and  with 
out  which  the  road  could  not  exist — that,  in  its  in- 


128  THE  PRESIDENT 

ccption  as  a  railroad,  had  been  made  it  by  Con 
gress. 

Senator  Hanway,  under  Senate  courtesies,  would  be 
named  chairman  of  the  special  committees.  He  would 
conduct  the  investigation  and  write  the  report.  It  was 
reasonable  to  assume,  under  the  public  as  well  as  the 
private  conditions  named,  that  Senator  Hanway's  find 
ings,  and  the  Senate  action  he  must  urge  and  bring 
about,  would  knock  the  bottom  out  of  Northern  Con 
solidated.  It  must  fall  to  twenty  by  every  rule  of  spec 
ulation.  Facing  collection  by  the  government  of  those 
claims  for  lands  ravished  and  pine  trees  swept  away, 
to  say  naught  of  losing  original  grants  which  were  as 
its  life-blood  to  Northern  Consolidated,  the  value  of  the 
stock — to  speak  most  hopefully  in  its  favor — would  be 
diminished  by  one-half. 

The  conspirators  grew  in  confidence  as  they  talked, 
and  at  the  end  looked  upon  Northern  Consolidated  as 
already  in  their  talons.  They  named  the  old  gray  buc 
caneer  to  manage  for  the  pool.  The  amount  to  be  paid 
in  by  each  of  the  eight  members — for  they  counted  Sen 
ator  Hanway — was  settled  at  five  hundred  thousand  dol 
lars.  Four  millions  would  be  required  to  start  the  ball 
rolling ;  the  "  bear  "  movement  in  the  beginning  would 
demand  margins.  Once  under  headway,  it  would  take 
care  of  itself.  It  would  succeed  like  a  barrel  downhill. 

Storri  did  not  protest  the  suggestion  of  the  old  gray 


COUNT  STORRFS  IMAGINATION        129 

buccaneer  that  four  millions  be  contributed  to  form  a 
working  capital  for  the  pool.  His  share  of  a  half- 
million  meant  fifty  thousand  more  dollars  than  Storri 
at  the  time  possessed,  but  he  did  not  propose  to  have  the 
others  discover  the  fact.  Somehow  he  would  scrape 
together  those  fifty  thousand;  his  note  might  do. 
Being,  like  every  savage,  a  congenital  gambler,  Storri 
went  into  the  pool  with  zest  as  well  as  confidence,  and 
rejoiced  in  speculation  that  offered  chances  wide  enough 
to  employ  his  last  dollar  in  the  stake.  Moreover,  those 
four  millions  would  not  be  asked  for  before  the  first  of 
January.  Other  speculations  might  intervene,  and  pro 
vide  those  lacking  fifty  thousand. 

Mr.  Harley  laid  the  Storri  project,  and  the  plans  of 
the  pool  to  seize  Northern  Consolidated,  before  Senator 
Hanway.  That  candidate  for  a  Presidency  knitted  his 
brows  and  pondered  the  business.  As  with  Mr.  Harley 
and  the  pirate  five,  the  mad  grandeur  of  the  idea 
charmed  him.  One  element  seemed  plain :  there  could 
come  no  loss  from  the  raid  on  Northern  Consolidated. 
He  might  go  that  far  with  safety,  and  a  certainty  of 
profit ;  for  in  the  Senate  committee  of  investigation  he, 
himself,  would  play  the  controlling  card. 

"  The  proposal,"  said  Senator  Hanway,  when  he  and 
Mr.  Harley  conferred,  "  while  gigantic  in  its  unfold- 
ment,  seems  a  reasonable  one.  After  all,  it  is  the 
amount  involved  that  staggers  rather  than  what  ob- 


130  THE  PRESIDENT 

stacks  must  be  overcame.  Taken  piecemeal,  I  do  not 
say  that  the  entire  scheme,  even  Credit  Magellan,  with 
its  thirty  billions,  may  not  work  through.  The  reso 
lution  naming  a  committee  to  look  into  the  claims  and 
charges  against  Northern  Securities  ought  to  help  my 
Presidential  canvass.  It  cannot  avoid  telling  in  my 
favor  with  thoughtful  men.  They  will  see  that  I  am 
one  who  is  jealously  guarding  public  interests." 

"  And  the  resolution,"  suggested  Mr.  Harley,  "  ap 
pointing  a  commission  for  the  Canadian  Canal,  and  in 
viting  the  Ottawa  government  to  do  the  same,  ought  also 
to  speak  in  your  favor.  Consider  what  an  impetus  such  a 
waterway  would  give  our  Northwestern  commerce." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Senator  Hanway,  "  I  think  you  are 
right.  It  will  knock  a  third  off  freight  rates  on  much 
of  the  trade  between  the  oceans,  and  save  heavily  in 
time.  Those  subsidies,  however,  must  go  over  until 
next  session.  Subsidies  are  not  popular,  and  these  must 
be  left  until  after  next  November's  elections.  Then, 
of  course,  they  may  be  safely  taken  up." 

The  various  conferences  over  Storri's  enterprise,  and 
the  consequent  coming  together  of  Storri  and  Mr. 
Harley,  took  place  a  few  weeks  prior  to  Richard's  ap 
pearance  in  this  chronicle.  Both  Storri  and  Mr.  Harley 
were  fond  of  stocks  in  their  ups  and  downs,  and  now, 
being  much  together,  they  were  in  and  out  as  partners  in 
a  dozen  different  deals.  Mr.  Harley  attended  to  most 


COUNT  STORRI'S  IMAGINATION        131 

of  these ;  and  Storri  learned  certain  peculiarities  belong 
ing  to  that  gentleman.  Mr.  Harley,  for  one  solvent 
matter,  was  penurious  to  the  point  of  dimes ;  also,  Mr. 
Harley  took  no  risks.  Mr.  Harley  was  willing  to  book 
a  joint  deal  in  both  Storri's  name  and  his  own ;  or  in  his 
own  for  the  common  good  of  Storri  and  himself.  But 
Mr.  Harley  would  not  give  a  joint  order  solely  in 
Storri's  name.  Evidently,  Mr.  Harley  would  not  trust 
Storri  to  divide  profits  with  him  where  the  case  rested 
only  upon  that  Russian's  honor.  No  more  would  he 
draw  his  own  check  for  Storri's  margins ;  and  one  day 
our  nobleman  lost  money  because  of  Mr.  Harley's  cau 
tious  delicacy  in  that  behalf.  The  market  went  the 
wrong  way,  and  Storri  could  not  be  found  when  addi 
tional  margins  were  called  for.  Whereupon  Mr.  Harley 
closed  out  his  friend  at  a  loss  of  seven  thousand  dollars. 

Storri  knitted  his  brows  when  he  knew,  but  offered  no 
comment.  In  fact,  he  treated  the  affair  so  lightly  that 
Mr.  Harley  felt  relieved;  that  latter  speculator  had 
been  somewhat  disturbed  in  his  mind  concerning  Storri's 
opinion  of  what,  to  give  it  a  best  description,  evinced 
niggard  distrust  of  Storri,  and  cast  in  negative  fashion 
a  slur  upon  that  gentleman. 

Mr.  Harley  was  too  ready  with  his  belief  in  Storri's 
indifference ;  that  the  latter,  for  all  his  surface  stoicism, 
took  a  serious,  not  to  say  a  revengeful,  view  of  the  busi 
ness,  found  indication  on  a  later  painful  day.  The 


132  THE  PRESIDENT 

experience  taught  Storri  that  he  might  expect  neither 
favor  nor  generosity  from  Mr.  Harley ;  and  this,  con 
sidering  how  in  all  they  must  adventure  in  Credit 
Magellan  Mr.  Harley  would  have  him  in  his  power, 
filled  Storri  with  an  angry  uneasiness.  He  decided  that 
for  his  own  security,  if  nothing  more,  he  might  better 
bestir  himself  to  gain  a  counter-grip  upon  Mr.  Har 
ley.  And  thereupon  Storri  began  to  lie  in  ambush  for 
Mr.  Harley ;  and  at  a  lurking,  sprawling  warfare  that 
sets  gins  and  deadfalls,  and  bases  itself  on  surprise, 
your  savage  makes  a  formidable  soldier. 

Storri,  wisely  and  without  price,  had  one  day  aided 
a  sugar  company  in  securing  Russian  foothold  in 
Odessa.  That  aid  was  ground-bait  meant  to  lure  the 
sugar  favor.  This  sugar  company  made  more  profit 
en  its  stocks  than  on  its  sugar.  It  was  in  the  habit, 
with  one  device  or  another,  of  sending  the  quotations 
of  its  shares  up  and  down  like  an  elevator.  In  requital 
of  that  Odessa  good,  the  president  of  the  sugar  com 
pany,  the  week  after,  gave  Storri  a  private  hint  to 
sell  sugar  stock.  Storri  responded  by  placing  an  order 
selling  ten  thousand  shares. 

Storri  took  no  one  into  his  confidence  touching  sugar. 
Going  the  other  way,  he  urged  Mr.  Harley  to  buy  on 
their  mutual  account  two  thousand  shares,  assuring 
him  that  he  had  been  given  word,  from  sources  abso 
lutely  sure,  of  a  coming  "  bull "  movement  in  the  stock. 


COUNT  STORRI'S  IMAGINATION        133 

Mr.  Harley,  who  knew  of  that  Odessa  favor,  be 
lieved.  Storri,  as  further  evidence  of  faith,  gave  Mr. 
Harley  a  check  covering  what  initial  margins  would  be 
required  for  his  half  of  the  purchase ;  and  then  to  make 
all  secure,  he  placed  in  Mr.  Harley's  hands  two  hun 
dred  shares  of  a  French  company  worth  that  day  fifteen 
thousand  dollars. 

"I  don't  want  any  argument  to  exist,"  laughed 
Storri,  as  he  gave  Mr.  Harley  the  French  securities, 
"  for  closing  me  out  should  a  squall  strike  the  market. 
Now  I  shall  go  to  the  club." 

Mr.  Harley  also  laughed,  and  took  the  French  stock ; 
acceptance  always  came  easy  with  Mr.  Harley. 

Mr.  Harley  bought  those  two  thousand  sugar  shares 
at  eleven  o'clock.  Two  hours  later  an  extra  was  being 
cried  about  the  streets.  The  sugar  company  had  or 
dered  half  its  refineries  closed ;  some  alleged  loose  screw 
in  sugar  trade  was  given  as  the  reason. 

With  the  order  closing  down  the  refineries,  the  stock 
began  to  tumble.  Within  thirty  minutes  it  had  slumped 
off  six  points.  There  came  a  call  for  further  margins, 
and  Mr.  Harley  offered  Storri's  French  stock. 

The  security  was  undeniable,  but  a  technicality 
got  in  the  way  to  trip  Mr.  Harley.  The  French 
securities  were  original  shares,  issued  in  Storri's 
name.  On  the  back,  however,  there  was  no  Storri  sig 
nature  making  the  usual  assignment  in  blank.  The 


134  THE  PRESIDENT 

shares,  in  their  present  shape,  would  not  be  received 
Mr.  Harley  flew  to  a  nearby  telephone  and  called  up 
Storri. 

"  There  is  not  time  for  me  to  get  there ! "  cried  that 
designing  gentleman  excitedly.  He  was  a  half-mile 
away.  "  Don't  hesitate ;  clap  my  name  on  the  backs 
of  the  certificates  yourself.  They  don't  know  my  sig 
nature  ;  and  no  one  will  think  of  questioning  it,  coming 
through  your  hands." 

There  was  no  other  way ;  thereupon  Mr.  Harley,  in  a 
ferment  with  tumbling  prices,  picked  up  a  pen,  and, 
with  the  best  intentions  in  life,  forged  Storri's  name. 
Then  he  hurried  to  the  broker's  and  got  up  the  mar 
gins. 

It  was  not  a  squall,  it  was  a  storm,  and  sugar  was 
broken  off  at  the  roots,  falling  twenty  points.  Storri, 
on  his  private  deal,  made  two  hundred  thousand,  while 
Messrs.  Harley  and  Storri,  on  their  joint  account,  lost 
forty  thousand  dollars — twenty  thousand  for  each.  In 
the  clean-up,  Storri  paid  his  losses  and  got  back  his 
French  shares.  He  smiled  an  evil  smile  as  he  con 
templated  Mr.  Harley's  attempts  to  mock  his  signa 
ture. 

"  He  loses  twenty  thousand,"  commented  Storri, 
"  and  that  should  more  than  offset  those  seven  thousand 
lost  by  me  when  he  refused  to  protect  my  deals.  As 
for  these,"  and  here  Storri  ran  a  dark,  exultant  glance 


COUNT  STORM'S  IMAGINATION        185 

over  his  imitated  signatures,  "  every  one  of  them  makes 
a  reason  why  my  good  friend,  Mr.  Harley,  must  now 
please  me  and  obey  me  in  everything  he  does.  After  all, 
is  it  a  destiny  beneath  his  j  owlish  fat  deserts,  that  an 
American  pig  should  become  slave  to  a  Russian  noble?  " 


CHAPTER  VII 

HOW  RICHARD   GAINED  IN  KNOWLEDGE 

CONGRESS  came  together  at  noon  upon  the 
first  Monday  in  December,  and  obedient  to 
the  mandate  of  the  caucus  Mr.  Frost  was 
made  Speaker  Frost.  The  eruptive  Mr.  Hawke  wore 
an  injured  air,  and  when  the  drawing  for  scats  took 
place,  selected  one  in  a  far  back  row,  as  though  retir 
ing  from  public  life.  Mr.  Hawkc  subsequently  refused 
to  serve  as  chairman  of  the  triangular  committee  named 
to  notify  the  President  that  the  House  had  convened, 
and  his  declination  was  accepted  by  Speaker  Frost,  who 
calmly  filled  the  place  with  a  member  whom  Mr.  Hawke 
despised.  Then  the  House  swung  into  the  channel,  and 
went  plowing  ahead  upon  the  business  of  the  session, 
and  in  forty-eight  hours,  Mr.  Hawke,  forgotten,  had 
ceased  to  be  important  to  any  save  himself.  The  whole 
of  that  first  Monday  night  Speaker  Frost  put  in  with 
Senator  Hanway,  in  the  latter's  study,  revising  com 
mittee  lists  and  settling  chairmanships  with  the  purpose 
of  advancing  the  White  House  chances  of  Senator  Han- 
way  and  destroying  those  of  Governor  Obstinate. 

Although  Congress  had  begun  its  session,  no  change 
186 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       137 

was  made  in  those  morning  calls  of  Richard,  who  came 
religiously  at  eleven  to  listen  to  Senator  Hanway  and 
look  at  Dorothy.  The  latter  young  lady  was  never 
absent  from  these  interviews ;  she  had  conceived  a  won 
derful  interest  in  politics,  and  gave  her  "  Uncle  Pat  " 
no  peace.  Richard's  call  commonly  lasted  but  a  half- 
hour,  for  Senator  Hanway  must  be  in  the  Senate  cham 
ber  at  noon.  Thirty  heavenly  minutes  they  were; 
Dorothy  and  Richard  promised  and  again  promised  un 
dying  love  to  one  another  with  their  eyes.  Senator 
Hanway  never  suspected  this  love-making,  never  inter 
cepted  one  soft  glance;  for  your  politician  is  like  a 
horse  wearing  blinders,  seeing  only  the  road  before  him, 
thinking  of  nothing  but  himself.  One  morning  after 
Senator  Hanway  had  departed,  Dorothy  took  Richard 
across  to  meet  the  blonde  pythoness.  Dorothy  said  she 
wanted  Richard  to  see  Bess.  This  was  fiction;  she 
wanted  Bess  to  see  Richard,  of  whom  she  was  privily 
proud. 

The  Marklins  lived  across  the  street  from  the  Harley 
house.  Mother  Marklin  was  an  invalid  and  seldom  out 
of  her  own  room.  Father  Marklin  was  dead,  and  had 
been  these  five  years.  When  the  situation  promoted  her 
to  be  the  head  of  the  Marklin  household,  Bess  had  taken 
on  a  quiet,  grave  atmosphere  of  authority  that  was  ten 
years  older  than  her  age. 

The  Marklins  were  fair  rich.     Father  Marklin  had 


138  THE  PRESIDENT 

been  a  physician  whose  patients  were  women  of  fashion ; 
and  that  makes  a  practice  wherein  your  doctor  may 
know  less  medicine  and  make  more  money  than  in  any 
other  walk  of  drugs.  A  woman  likes  big  bills  from  a 
physician  if  the  malady  be  her  own;  she  draws  impor 
tance  from  the  size  of  the  bills.  When  one  reflects  that 
there  is  nothing  to  some  women  except  their  aches 
and  their  ailments,  it  all  seems  rational  enough.  These 
be  dangerous  digressions;  one  might  better  return  to 
the  drug-dealing  parent  of  Bess,  who  visited  the  fair 
sufferers  in  a  Brewster  brougham  and  measured  out 
his  calls  by  minutes,  watch  in  hand.  He  heaped  up 
a  fortune  for  Bess  and  her  mother,  and  then  at  one 
and  the  same  moment  quit  both  his  practice  and  the 
world. 

When  Dorothy  came  in  with  Richard,  they  found 
Bess  entertaining  a  caller.  The  caller  was  a  helpless 
person  named  Mr.  Fopling. 

"  Mr.  Storms,  permit  me  to  make  you  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Fopling,"  observed  Bess,  after  Dorothy  had 
presented  Richard. 

When  Bess  named  Richard  to  Mr.  Fopling,  she  did 
so  with  a  master-of-ceremony  flourish  that  was  pro 
tecting  and  mannish.  Richard  grinned  in  friendship 
upon  Mr.  Fopling,  who  shocks  hands  flabbily  and 
seemed  uncertain  of  his  mental  direction.  Richard  said 
nothing  through  fear  of  overwhelming  Mr,  Fopling. 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE      139 

Mr.  Fopling  was  equally  silent  through  fear  of  over 
whelming  himself.  Released  from  Richard,  Mr.  Fop- 
ling  found  refuge  in  the  chair  he  had  quitted,  and  main 
tained  himself  without  sound  or  motion,  bolt  upright, 
staring  straight  ahead.  Mr.  Fopling  had  a  vacant  ex 
pression,  and  his  face  was  not  an  advantageous  face. 
It  was  round,  pudgy,  weak,  with  shadows  of  petulance 
about  the  mouth,  and  the  forehead  sloped  away  at  an 
angle  which  house-builders,  speaking  of  roofs,  call  a 
quarter-pitch.  His  chin,  acting  on  the  hint  offered 
by  the  forehead,  was  likewise  in  full  retreat.  Alto 
gether,  one  might  have  said  of  Mr.  Fopling  that  if  he 
were  not  a  delightful,  at  worst  he  would  never  become  a 
dangerous  companion.  Richard  surveyed  him  with  a 
deal  of  curiosity;  then  he  questioned  Dorothy  with  a 
glance. 

"  Bess  is  to  marry  him,"  whispered  Dorothy. 

"What  for?"  whispered  Richard,  off  his  guard. 
Then,  pulling  himself  together  in  confusion :  "  Of 
course,  he  loves  her,  I  dare  say.  Your  friend  Bess  is 
a  beautiful  girl !  " 

Richard  brought  forth  the  last  with  hurried  unction. 
It  was  a  cunning  remark  to  make;  it  drew  Dorothy's 
attention  off  Mr.  Fopling,  whom  she  was  preparing  to 
defend  with  spirit,  and  centered  it  upon  herself.  At 
Richard's  observation,  so  flattering  to  Bess,  she  tossed 
her  head. 


140  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Is  she?  "  said  Dorothy,  with  a  falling  inflection, 
vastly  severe. 

The  two  were  near  a  window  and  quite  alone,  for 
Bess  had  stepped  into  the  hall  to  give  directions  to  a 
servant.  Mr.  Fopling  sat  the  length  of  the  room  away, 
wrapped  in  meditation.  Richard  looked  tenderly  apolo 
getic,  and  Dorothy,  after  sparkling  for  a  jealous  mo 
ment,  softened  to  be  in  sympathy  with  Richard. 

And  the  strange  thing  was  that  neither  had  ever  said 
one  word  of  love  to  the  other.  They  had  begun  to  love 
at  sight,  taking  each  other  for  granted,  worshiping 
frankly,  sweetly,  with  the  candid,  innocent  informality 
of  barbarians  to  whom  the  conventional  was  the  un 
known.  After  all,  why  not?  Isn't  word  of  eye  as 
sacred  as  word  of  mouth? 

Bess  returned  to  them  from  the  hall. 

"  I  say,  Bess !  "  bleated  Mr.  Fopling  anxiously. 

"  In  a  moment,  child !  "  returned  Bess,  in  maternal 
tones. 

Mr.  Fopling  relapsed,  while  Richard  was  amused. 
Some  corner  of  Richard's  amusement  must  have  stuck 
out  to  attract  the  notice  of  Bess.  She  met  it  finely, 
undisturbed. 

"  Some  day,  Mr.  Storms,"  beamed  Bess,  as  though 
replying  to  a  question,  "  I  shall  talk  to  you  on  marriage 
and  husbands." 

"  Why  not  on  marriage  and  wives?  " 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       141 

"  Because  I  would  not  speak  of  the  philosopher  and 
the  experiment,  but  of  the  experiment  and  the  result. 
Marriage  is  a  cause ;  the  husband  an  effect.  Husbands 
are  artificial  and  made  by  marriage.  Wives,  like  poets, 
are  born,  not  made.  I  shall  talk  to  you  on  marriage 
and  husbands ;  I  have  some  original  ideas,  I  assure  you.'* 

"  Now  I  can  well  believe  that !  "  declared  Richard, 
much  tumbled  about  in  his  mind.  Bess's  harangue  left 
him  wondering  whether  she  might  not  be  possessed  of 
a  mild  mania  on  wedlock  and  husbands. 

"  You  need  have  no  misgivings,"  returned  Bess,  as 
though  reading  his  thoughts ;  "  you  will  find  me  sane 
to  the  verge  of  commonplace." 

Richard's  stare  was  the  mate  to  Mr.  Fopling's ;  he 
could  not  decide  just  how  to  lay  hold  on  the  sibyl  of 
the  golden  locks.  Perceiving  him  wandering  in  his  wits, 
Dorothy  took  him  up  warmly. 

"  Can't  you  see  Bess  is  laughing  at  you?  "  she  cried. 

"  You  know  her  so  much  better  than  I,"  argued 
Richard,  in  extenuation  of  his  dullness.  "  Some  day 
I  hope  to  be  so  well  acquainted  with  Miss  Marklin  as 
to  know  when  she  laughs." 

"  You  arc  to  know  her  as  well  as  I  do,"  returned 
Dorotlry,  with  decision,  "  for  Bess  is  my  dearest  friend." 

"  And  that,  I'm  sure,"  observed  Richard,  craftily 
measuring  forth  a  two-edged  compliment,  "  is  the  high 
est  possible  word  that  could  be  spoken  of  either." 


142  THE  PRESIDENT 

At  this  speech  Dorothy  was  visibly  disarmed ;  whereat 
liichard  congratulated  himself. 

"  To  be  earnest  with  you,  Mr.  Storms,"  said  Bess, 
with  just  a  flash  of  teasing  wickedness  towards  Doro 
thy,  "  I  go  about,  even  now,  carrying  the  impression  of 
knowing  you  extremely  well.  Dorothy  reads  me  your 
letters  from  the  Dally  Tory;  she  has  elevated  literary 
tastes,  you  know.  No,  it  is  not  what  you  write,  it  is 
the  way  you  write  it,  that  charms  her ;  and,  that  I  may 
the  better  appreciate,  she  obligingly  accompanies 
her  readings  with  remarks  descriptive  of  the  au 
thor." 

"  Bess,  do  you  think  that  fair?  "  and  Dorothy's 
face  put  on  a  reproachful  red. 

"  At  least  it's  true,"  returned  Bess  composedly. 

That  morning  Richard  had  been  flattered  with  a 
letter  from  the  editor  of  a  magazine,  asking  for  a  five- 
thousand  word  article  on  a  leading  personality  of  the 
Cabinet.  This  helped  him  bear  the  raillery  of  Bess; 
and  the  raillery,  per  incident,  told  him  how  much  and 
deeply  he  was  in  the  thoughts  of  Dorothy,  which  infor 
mation  made  the  world  extremely  beautiful.  Richard 
had  waited  until  his  thirtieth  year  to  begin  to  live !  He 
was  brought  back  from  a  dream  of  Dorothy  by  the 
unexpected  projection  of  Mr.  Fopling  into  the  con 
versation. 

"  The  Dally  Tory!  "  repeated  Mr.  Fopling,  in  feeble 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       143 

disgust.  "  I  hate  newspapahs ;  they  inflame  the 
mawsses." 

"  Inflame  what?  "  asked  Richard. 

"  Inflame  the  mawsses !  the  common  fellahs !  " 

Mr.  Fopling  was  emphatic;  and  when  Mr.  Fopling 
was  emphatic  he  squeaked.  Mr.  Fopling's  father  had 
been  a  beef  contractor.  Likewise  he  had  seen  trouble 
with  investigating  committees,  being  convicted  of  bad 
beef.  This  may  or  may  not  have  had  to  do  with  the 
younger  Fopling's  aversion  to  the  press. 

"  Certainly,"  coincided  Bess,  again  assuming  the 
maternal,  "  the  newspapers  are  exceedingly  inflamma 
tory." 

"  Your  friend  Bess,"  said  Richard  to  Dorothy,  later, 
"  is  a  bit  of  a  bluestocking,  isn't  she  ? — one  of  those 
girls  who  give  themselves  to  the  dangerous  practice  of 
thinking?" 

"  I  love  her  from  my  heart !  "  returned  Dorothy,  with 
a  splendid  irrelevance  wholly  feminine ;  "  she  is  a  girl 
of  gold!" 

"  Mr.  Fopling:  he's  of  gold,  too,  I  take  it." 

"  Mr.  Fopling  is  very  wealthy." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  he's  something,"  observed  Rich 
ard. 

"  You  hate  him  because  he  spoke  ill  of  newspapers," 
said  Dorothy  teasingly. 

"  Naturally,  when  a  giant  hand  is  stretched  forth 


144  THE  PRESIDENT 

against  the  tree  by  which  one  lives,  one's  alarm  runs 
away  into  hate,"  laughed  Richard. 

Richard,  now  that  the  Daily  Tory  letters  were  win 
ning  praise,  that  is  to  say,  were  being  greatly  ap 
plauded  and  condemned,  began  to  have  in  them  a 
mightier  pride  than  ever.  Educated  those  years  abroad, 
he  felt  the  want  of  an  American  knowledge,  and  started 
in  to  study  government  at  point-blank  range.  Nights 
he  read  history,  mostly  political,  and  days  he  went  about 
like  a  Diogenes  without  the  lamp.  He  put  himself  in 
the  way  of  Cabinet  men ;  and  talked  with  Senators 
and  Representatives  concerning  congressional  move 
ments  of  the  day. 

Being  quick,  he  made  discoveries ;  some  of  them  per 
sonal  to  himself.  As  correspondent  of  a  New  York 
daily,  those  Cabinet  folk  and  men  of  Congress  encoun 
tered  him  affably ;  when  he  was  not  present  they  spoke 
ferociously  of  him  and  his  craft,  as  convicts  curse  a 
guard  behind  his  back,  and  for  much  a  convict's  reason. 

It  was  the  same  at  the  club  without  the  affability. 
Present  or  absent,  there  they  turned  unsparing  back 
upon  him.  Richard's  status  as  a  newspaper  man  had 
been  explained  and  fixed,  and  they  of  the  club  liked  him 
less  than  before.  The  Fopling  feeling  towards  the 
press  predominated  at  the  club,  and  although  Richard 
was  never  openly  snubbed — his  shoulders  were  too  wide 
for  that — besides,  some  sigh  of  those  hand-grips  with 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       145 

Storri  had  gone  about — the  feeling  was  manifest. 
This  cool  distance  pleased  Richard  rather  than  other 
wise,  and  he  went  often  to  the  club  to  enjoy  it.  It 
was  parcel  of  his  affected  cynicism  to  like  an  enemy. 

When  Richard  came  to  Washington  it  is  more  than 
a  chance  that  he  was  a  patriot.  But  as  he  went  about 
he  saw  much  to  blunt  the  sentiment.  A  statesman  is 
one  who  helps  his  country ;  a  politician  is  one  who  helps 
himself.  Richard  found  shoals  of  the  latter  and  none 
of  the  other  class.  One  day  he  asked  Speaker  Frost, 
whom  he  met  in  Senator  Hanway's  study,  his  definition 
of  a  statesman. 

"  A  statesman,"  said  that  epigrammatist,  "  is  a  dead 
politician." 

Richard  frequented  House  and  Senate  galleries ;  it 
was  interesting  to  watch  the  notables  transacting  their 
fame.  The  debates  were  a  cross-fire  of  deceit.  Not  a 
member  gave  his  true  reasons  for  the  votes  he  cast ;  he 
gave  what  he  wanted  the  world  to  think  were  his  reasons. 
Finance  was  on  the  carpet  in  that  hour,  and  bimetallism 
and  monometallism,  silver  versus  geld,  were  in  everyone's 
mouth.  Richard  saw  that  the  goldbugs  hailed  from 
money-lending  constituencies,  while  the  silverbugs  were 
invariably  from  either  money-borrowing  constituencies 
or  constituencies  that  had  silver  to  sell.  And  every 
man  legislated  for  his  district  and  never  for  the  coun 
try;  which  Richard  regarded  as  an  extremely  narrow 


146  THE  PRESIDENT 

course.  Every  man  talked  of  the  people's  interest; 
every  man  was  thinking  of  his  own  interest  and  striving 
only  to  locate  the  butter  on  his  political  bread. 

There  was  a  third  class,  made  up  of  those  who  were 
neither  goldbugs  nor  silverbugs;  they  were  straddle- 
bugs,  and,  like  the  two  sides  of  the  shield,  would  be 
gold  when  looked  at  by  one  contingent  and  silver  when 
viewed  by  the  other.  Senator  Hanway,  whose  monk's 
face  seemed  to  mark  him  as  private  secretary  of  the 
Genius  of  Patriotism,  was  an  eminent  straddlebug.  He 
was  thinking  on  those  delegations  that  would  make  up 
the  convention  and  choose  a  candidate  for  the  Presi 
dency.  The  prudent  Senator  Hanway  would  be  in  line 
with  all  opinions,  and  occupied  both  sides  of  the 
money  question  without  becoming  the  open  champion 
of  either. 

Not  alone  did  Richard,  gazing  from  the  galleries, 
lose  faith  in  the  patriotism  of  House  and  Senate  men, 
but  he  began  to  doubt  the  verity  of  their  partisanship. 
Considering  what  they  did,  rather  than  what  they  said, 
he  discovered  that  the  true  difference  between  the  two 
great  political  parties  was  the  difference  between  cat 
owls  and  horned  owls,  and  lay  mainly  in  the  noises  they 
made.  When  it  came  to  deeds,  both  killed  chickens,  and 
both  appeared  equally  ready  to  pillage  the  hen  roosts 
of  government.  As  for  government — that  is  to  say, 
the  thing  controlling  and  not  the  thing  controlled:  it 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE      147 

was  made  up  of  the  President,  the  Speaker,  and  a  dozen 
more  in  Cabinet  and  Congress;  and  that  was  govern 
ment. 

The  picture  nourished  Richard's  failing  of  cynicism, 
and  served  to  dull  that  edge  of  native  patriotism  which 
it  was  assumed  he  owned  when  first  he  came.  He  got  an 
impression  of  government  that  left  him  nothing  to 
fight  and  bleed  and  die  for  should  the  thick  mutter  of 
the  war-drums  call  folk  to  the  field.  Good  politics,  as 
the  term  is  practiced,  means  bad  patriotism,  and  Wash 
ington  was  a  nest  of  politics  and  nothing  else  besides. 
It  made  decisively  a  situation,  so  Richard  was  driven 
to  conclude,  wherein  that  man  should  be  the  best  patriot 
who  knew  least  of  his  own  government;  he  should  fight 
harder  and  suffer  more  cheerfully  and  die  more  blithely 
in  its  defense  in  exact  proportion  to  his  ignorance  of 
whom  and  what  he  was  fighting  and  suffering  and  dying 
for.  It  was  a  sullen  conclusion  surely;  but,  forced 
home  upon  Richard,  it  taught  him  a  vitriolic  harshness 
that,  getting  into  his  letters  to  flavor  all  he  wrote,  gave 
him  national  vogue,  and  added  to  that  mixture  of 
hatred  and  admiration  with  which  official  Washington 
was  already  beginning  to  regard  him. 

Neither  did  he  escape  forming  certain  estimates  of 
Senator  Hanway,  and  the  white  purity  of  what  motives 
underlay  his  public  career.  For  all  that,  Richard  was 
quite  as  sedulous  as  ever  to  advance  our  statesman's 


US  THE  PRESIDENT 

fortunes;  loyalty  is  abstract,  love  concrete,  and  in  a 
last  analysis  Richard  was  thinking  on  Dorothy  and 
not  upon  the  country.  Richard,  you  may  have  ob 
served,  was  no  whit  better,  no  less  selfish,  than  were 
those  about  him;  and  it  is  as  well  to  know  our  faulty 
young  gentleman  for  what  he  really  was. 

Richard  not  only  considered  the  politics  of  men,  but 
he  studied  men  themselves.  The  narrowest  of  these 
came  from  parts  of  the  country  where  region  was  im 
portant,  and  where  }^ou  would  have  been  more  thought 
of  for  the  deeds  of  your  grandfather  than  for  anything 
that  you  yourself  might  do.  This  was  peculiarly  true 
of  men  from  New  England,  whose  intelligence  as  well  as 
interest  seemed  continually  walking  a  tight-rope.  The 
New  Englander  was  always  and  ever  the  sublimation  of 
a  blind,  ineffable  vanity  that  went  about  proposing  him 
as  an  example  to  the  race.  And  so  consciously  self- 
perfect  was  he  that,  while  coming  to  opinions  touching 
others,  generally  to  their  disadvantage,  he  never  once 
bethought  him  that  others  might  be  forming  opinions 
of  him.  Another  New  England  weakness  was  to  be 
lieve  in  the  measure  more  than  in  the  man,  and  there 
was  not  one  from  that  section  who  did  not  think  that  if 
you  but  introduced  among  negroes  or  Indians  the  New 
England  town  meeting,  those  negroes  or  Indians,  thus 
blessed,  would  all  and  instantly  become  Yankees. 

Another  sublime  provincial  whom  Richard  uncovered 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       149 

was  the  Southern  num.  He,  like  the  New  Englander, 
was  so  busy  thinking  on  and  revering  a  past  that  was 
dead,  that  he  owned  little  space  for  anything  else. 
There  was,  however,  one  characteristic,  common  to 
Southern  men,  which  was  wanting  in  folk  from  other 
corners  of  the  country.  Richard  never  met  a  Southern 
man  who  remembered,  assuming  such  to  be  his  official 
station,  that  he  was  in  Cabinet  or  Congress,  while  he 
never  met  a  Northern  or  a  Western  or  a  New  England 
man  who  for  a  moment  forgot  it. 

This  amiable  democracy  on  the  Southern  part,  like 
other  good  things,  has  its  explanation.  Your  Southern 
man,  like  a  squab  pigeon,  is  biggest  when  he  is  born. 
The  one  first  great  fact  of  his  nativity  is  an  honor  be 
yond  any  other  which  the  world  can  confer.  It  is  as 
though  he  were  cradled  on  a  peak ;  and  thereafter, 
wherever  his  wanderings  may  take  him,  and  whether  into 
Congress,  Cabinet,  or  White  House,  he  travels  always 
downhill.  It  is  this  to  account  for  that  benignant  ur 
banity,  the  inevitable  mark  of  a  Southern  man,  which 
teaches  him  faith  in  you  as  corollary  of  complctest  con 
fidence  in  himself.  It  is  a  beautiful,  even  though  an 
unreasonable  trait,  and  as  such  the  admiration  of  Rich 
ard  recorded  it. 

Those  others,  not  Southern,  educated  to  a  notion  of 
office  as  a  pedestal,  were  inclined  to  play  the  turkey 
cock  and  spread  their  tails  a  trifle.  Since  that  sort  of 


150  THE  PRESIDENT 

self-conceit  never  fails  to  transact  itself  at  the  expense 
of  the  spectator,  Richard  looked  upon  it  with  no  favor, 
and  it  drew  from  him  opinions,  not  of  compliment, 
concerning  those  by  whom  it  was  exhibited.  It  set 
him  to  comparisons  which  ran  much  in  Southern  favor. 

After  Congressmen  and  Cabinet  men,  Richard  studied 
Washington  itself.  The  common  condition — speaking 
now  of  residents,  and  not  of  those  who  were  mere  so- 
journers  within  the  city's  walls — he  found  to  be  one  of 
idleness,  the  common  trait  an  insatiable  bent  for  gos 
sip.  Government  was  the  sole  product  of  the  place, 
the  one  grist  ground  at  those  mills.  No  one  was  made 
to  labor  more  than  six  hours  of  the  twenty-four.  And 
the  term  labor  meant  no  more  than  one-tenth  its  defini 
tion  in  any  other  town.  Wherefore,  even  those  most 
engaged  of  the  citizenry  had  leisure  to  settle  the  world's 
most  perplexing  concerns,  and  they  generously  devoted 
it  to  that  purpose. 

Nor  were  they  abashed  by  any  insignificance  of  their 
personal  estate.  Familiarity  does  not  breed  contempt, 
it  breeds  conceit.  Those  who  dwell  close  to  the  hub 
of  government,  even  though  they  build  departmental 
fires,  sweep  departmental  floors,  and  empty  depart 
mental  waste  baskets,  from  nearness  of  contact  and  a 
daily  perusal  of  your  truly  great,  come  at  last  to  look 
upon  themselves  as  beings  of  tremendous  importance — 
and  all  after  the  self-gratulatory  example  of  the 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE      151 

thoughtful  fly  on  the  chariot  wheel  in  the  fable.  The 
least  of  them  beholds  a  picture  of  the  government  in 
every  looking-glass  into  which  he  peers. 

Storri  talked  with  Mr.  Harley ;  Mr.  Harley  talked 
with  Senator  Hanway.  These  conferences  were  of 
Credit  Magellan;  in  particular  they  had  concern  with 
the  overthrow  of  Northern  Consolidated.  Congress 
had  been  in  session  ten  days  when  Senator  Hanway,  one 
morning,  asked  Richard  to  call  that  evening  at  nine. 

"  There  is  something  which  your  paper  should  print," 
said  Senator  Hanway. 

Richard  was  with  Senator  Hanway  in  the  latter's 
study  sharp  upon  the  hour  set.  Dorothy  was  not  there ; 
her  mother  had  carried  her  and  the  yellow-haired  sorcer 
ess,  Bess,  to  the  theater.  It  is  to  be  doubted,  even 
if  she  were  free,  whether  Dorothy's  interest  in  her  polit 
ical  studies  would  have  carried  her  through  a  night 
session.  Besides,  the  preoccupied  Senator  Hanway  had 
begun  to  observe  that  Richard  looked  at  Dorothy  more 
than  he  listened  to  him,  and  while  he  suffered  no  dis 
turbance  by  virtue  of  this  discovery,  the  present  was 
an  occasion  when  he  wanted  Richard's  undivided  atten 
tion.  Once  seated,  Senator  Hanway  went  to  the  heart 
of  the  affair ;  he  made  himself  clear,  for  years  of  debate 
had  educated  him  to  lucidity.  What  he  desired  was  a 
plain,  sequential  rehearsal  in  the  Daily  Tory  of  those 
claims  and  charges  against  Northern  Consolidated. 


152  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Nor  will  I,"  observed  Senator  Hanway,  flatteringly 
confidential,  "  conceal  my  reasons.  In  the  first  place 
the  charges  have  been  made,  and  their  effect  is  to  injure 
Northern  Consolidated.  You  will  not  state  that  you 
know  these  charges  to  be  true;  you  will  say — if  you 
will  be  so  good — that  they  are  of  common  report. 
Once  in  print,  I  can  make  them  the  basis  of  an  investi 
gation.  I've  no  doubt — though  you  will  please  say 
nothing  on  that  point — but  what  an  investigation  will 
disclose  how  groundless  the  charges  are." 

"  You  are  an  owner  in  Northern  Consolidated? " 
asked  Richard. 

Richard  felt  no  interest  beyond  a  willingness  to  be 
of  service  to  Senator  Hanway,  and  only  put  the  ques 
tion  to  show  attention  to  his  eminent  friend. 

"  No,  no  owner,"  replied  Senator  Hanway ;  "  but  to 
be  frank,  since  I  know  my  confidence  is  safe,  it  will 
assist  me  in  a  certain  political  matter  the  name  of  which 
I  think  you  can  guess." 

Senator  Hanway's  smooth  face  wore  a  smile  which 
he  intended  should  prove  that  he  looked  upon  Richard 
as  one  possessing  a  rightful  as  well  as  an  intimate  knowl 
edge  of  those  White  House  plans  which  he  cherished. 
Richard  did  not  require  the  assurance;  he  was  ready 
without  it  to  come  to  the  aid  of  Senator  Hanway,  whom 
he  liked  if  he  did  not  revere. 

The  next  evening  Richard's  letter  carried  the  story 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       153 

against  Northern  Consolidated.  The  afternoon  of  the 
day  on  which  it  was  published,  Senator  Hanway  arose 
in  his  place  and  requested  that  the  article  be  read  by 
the  clerk.  That  done,  he  said  he  was  pained  and  sur 
prised  by  the  publication  of  such  a  story,  and  asked 
for  a  committee  of  three  to  look  into  the  truth  of  what 
was  set  forth. 

"  For,"  observed  Senator  Hanway,  after  paying  a 
tribute  to  Richard  and  the  Daily  Tory,  in  which  he 
extolled  the  honesty  and  intelligent  conservatism  of 
both  the  paper  and  its  correspondent,  "  for  it  is  only 
justice  that  the  charges  be  sifted.  The  Daily  Tory 
does  not  make  them  on  its  own  behalf;  it  finds  them  in 
the  mouths  of  others.  They  should  be  taken  up  and 
weighed.  If  there  be  aught  due  the  government,  we 
have  a  right  to  know  and  measure  it.  If  the  charges 
are  without  support — and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
such  is  the  situation — then  Northern  Consolidated  is 
entitled  to  the  refutation  of  a  calumny  that,  whispered 
in  some  quarters  and  talked  aloud  in  others,  has  borne 
heavily  upon  its  interests." 

No  one  opposed,  and  Senator  Hanway,  with  Senators 
Price  and  Loot,  were  selected  to  be  a  special  committee. 
They  were  to  send  for  men  and  papers,  be  open  or 
secret  in  their  sessions,  and  report  to  the  Senate  when 
ever  they  finished  the  inquiry.  The  affair  excited  no 
comment,  and  was  forgotten  within  the  hour  by  all 


154  THE  PRESIDENT 

except  Storri  and  Mr.  Haiiey  and  those  others  of  the 
osprey  pool. 

After  Richard  left  Senator  Hanway  upon  the  North 
ern  Consolidated  evening,  he  ran  plump  upon  an  inci 
dent  that  was  to  have  a  last  profound  effect  upon  this 
history.  No  one  not  a  prophet  would  have  guessed  this 
from  the  incident's  character,  for  on  its  ignoble  face  it 
was  nothing  better  than  just  a  drunken  clash  between 
a  Caucasian,  and  an  African  triumvirate  that  had 
locked  horns  with  him  in  the  street.  The  Caucasian, 
moved  of  liquor  and  pride  of  skin,  had  demanded  the 
entire  sidewalk.  He  enforced  his  demands  by  shoving 
the  obstructing  Africans  into  the  gutter.  The  latter, 
recalling  amendments  to  the  organic  law  of  the  land 
favorable  to  folk  of  color,  objected.  In  the  war  that 
ensued,  owing  to  an  inequality  of  forces,  the  Cau 
casian — albeit  a  gallant  soul — was  given  the  bitter  side 
of  the  argument.  Richard  came  upon  them  as  he 
rounded  a  corner;  the  quartette  at  the  time  made  a 
struggling,  scrambling,  cursing  tangle,  rolling  about 
the  sidewalk. 

Being  one  in  whom  the  race  instinct  ran  powerfully, 
and  who  was  not  untainted  of  antipathies  to  red  men 
and  yellow  men  and  black  men  and  all  men  not  wholly 
white,  Richard  did  not  pause  to  inquire  the  rights  and 
the  wrongs  of  the  altercation.  He  seized  upon  the 
topmost  person  of  color  and  pitched  him  into  the  street. 


RICHARD  GAINS  IN  KNOWLEDGE       15,5 

Then  he  pitched  another  after  him.  The  third,  getting 
some  alarming  notions  of  what  was  going  on,  arose 
and  fled.  None  of  the  three  came  back ;  for  discretion 
is  not  absent  from  the  African,  and  those  whom  Richard 
personally  disposed  of  felt  as  might  ones  who  had  es 
caped  from  some  malignant  providence  which  they  did 
not  think  it  wise  or  fitting  to  further  tempt.  As  for 
number  three,  he  was  pleased  to  find  himself  a  block 
away,  and  did  all  he  might  to  add  to  it,  like  a  miser  to 
his  hoard. 

Negroes  gone,  Richard  set  the  white  man  on  his  feet, 
and  asked  him  how  he  fared.  That  gentleman  shook 
himself  and  announced  that  he  was  uninjured.  Then 
he  said  that  he  was  drunk,  which  was  an  unnecessary 
confidence.  It  developed  that  he  followed  the  trade  of 
printer;  also  that  he  had  just  come  to  town.  He  had 
no  money,  he  had  no  place  to  sleep ;  and,  what  was  won 
derful  to  Richard,  he  appeared  in  no  whit  cast  down  by 
his  bankrupt  and  bedless  state.  He  had  had  money; 
but  like  many  pleasant  optimistic  members  of  his  mys 
tery  of  types,  he  had  preferred  to  spend  it  in  liquor, 
leaving  humdrum  questions,  such  as  bed  and  board,  to 
solve  themselves. 

"  For,"  said  the  bedless  one,  "  I'm  a  tramp  printer !  " 
And  he  flung  forth  the  adjective  as  though  it  were  a 
title  of  respect. 

Having  invested  some  little  exertion  in  the  affairs  of 


156  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  stranger,  Richard  thought  he  might  as  well  go  for 
ward  and  invest  a  little  money.  With  that  he  went  out 
of  his  way  to  lead  the  drunken  one  to  a  cheap  hotel, 
•where  the  porter  took  him  in  charge  under  contract  to 
put  him  to  bed.  The  consideration  for  the  latter  at 
tention  was  a  quarter  paid  in  hand  to  the  porter ;  with 
the  proprietor  Richard  left  ten  dollars,  and  orders  to 
give  the  devious  one  the  change  in  the  morning  after 
deducting  for  his  entertainment. 

The  rescued  printer,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind, 
called  upon  Richard  the  next  afternoon  to  thank  him 
for  his  generosity  and  say  that  his  name  was  Sands. 
Mr.  Sands,  being  sober  and  shaven,  with  clothes 
brushed,  was  in  no  sense  a  spectacle  of  shame.  Indeed, 
there  were  worse-looking  people  passing  laws  for  the 
nation.  Richard  was  pleased,  and  said  so. 

"  If  I  had  a  job,  I'd  go  to  work,"  said  Mr.  Sands, 
having  had,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  his  drunk  out." 

The  habit  of  charity  grows  upon  one  like  the  liquor 
habit ;  moreover,  if  once  you  help  a  man,  you  ever 
after  feel  compelled  to  help  him  to  the  end  of  time. 
Richard  was  no  exception  to  these  philanthropic  laws, 
and  when  Mr.  Sands  declared  an  eagerness  to  go  to 
work,  brought  him  to  Senator  Hanway,  who  promptly 
berthed  him  upon  the  Government  printing  office,  where 
he  was  given  a  "  case,"  and  commenced  tossing  up  types 
after  the  manner  of  a  master. 


RICHARD    GAINS    IN   KNOWLEDGE     157 

If  Senator  Hanway  had  been  able  to  probe  the 
future,  instead  of  setting  Mr.  Sands  to  work  that 
December  afternoon,  he  would  have  paid  his  way  to 
London,  had  a  trans-Atlantic  trip  been  made  the  price  of 
being  rid  of  him.  But  a  Senator  is  not  a  soothsaj^er, 
and  no  impression  of  the  kind  once  touched  him.  He 
got  Mr.  Sands  his  billet,  and  said  it  gave  him  pleasure 
to  comply  with  the  request  of  his  young  friend,  Mr. 
Storms.  To  Richard,  the  hereafter  was  as  opaque  as 
it  was  to  Senator  Hanway,  and,  having  seen  his  protege 
installed,  he  walked  away  unconscious  of  a  morn  to 
dawn  when  Mr.  Sands  would  recur  as  an  instance  of 
that  bread  upon  the  waters  which  returns  after  many 
days. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HOW    STORRI    WOOED    MRS.    HANWAY-HARLEY 

STORRI  was  a  sensualist  to  his  fingers'  ends. 
Being  a  sensualist,  he  was  perforce  an  egotist, 
and  the  smallest  of  his  desires  became  the  star 
by  whicli  he  laid  his  course.  Through  stress  of  appe 
tites,  as  powerful  as  they  were  gross,  he  had  grown 
sharp  to  calculate,  and  quick  to  see.  He  was  controlled 
and  hurried  down  by  currents  of  a  turbid  selfishness  ;  nor 
would  he  have  stopped  at  any  cruelty,  balked  at  any 
crime,  when  prompted  of  what  brute  hungers  kept  his 
soul  awake.  He  might  have  wept  over  failure,  never 
from  remorse.  And  Storri  had  set  his  savage  heart 
on  Dorothy. 

Dorothy  felt  an  aversion  to  Storri,  and  she  could  not 
have  told  you  why.  The  mystery  of  it,  however,  put 
no  question  to  her;  she  yielded  with  folded  hands,  pas 
sive  to  its  influence.  She  did  not  hate  Storri,  she 
shrunk  from  him ;  his  nearness  chilled  her  like  the  near 
ness  of  a  reptile.  Kipling,  the  matchless,  tells  how  a 
Russian  does  not  become  alarming  until  he  tucks  in  his 
shirt,  and  insists  upon  himself  as  the  most  Eastern  of 
Western  peoples  instead  of  the  most  Western  of  East- 

158 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY     159 

era  peoples.  There  is  truth  to  sit  at  the  bottom  of  this. 
Dorothy  would  have  met  Storri  with  indifference  had 
that  nobleman  seen  fit  to  catalogue  himself,  socially, 
as  a  Kalmuck  Tartar,  not  of  her  strain  and  tribe ;  she 
was  set  a-shudder  when  made  to  meet  him  under  condi 
tions  which  admitted  the  propriety  of  marriage  between 
them,  should  she  and  he  agree.  As  it  stood,  Dorothy 
was  alive  for  flight  the  moment  Storri  stepped  into  her 
presence;  she  knew  by  intuition  the  foulness  of  his 
fiber,  and  shivered  at  any  threat  of  contact  there 
with. 

Storri  was  aware  of  Dorothy's  dislike,  since  aversion 
is  the  one  sentiment  a  woman  cannot  conceal.  The  dis 
covery  only  made  him  laugh.  He  was  too  much  the  con 
queror  of  women  to  look  for  failure  here.  Should  he, 
Storri,  who  had  been  sighed  for  by  the  fairest  of  a 
dozen  stately  courts,  receive  defeat  from  a  little  Ameri 
can?  Bah!  he  would  have  her  at  his  ease,  win  her  at 
his  pleasure !  Dorothy's  efforts  to  avoid  him  gave  pur 
suit  a  piquancy! 

While  Storri  noted  Dorothy's  distaste  of  him,  he  did 
not  get  slightest  slant  of  her  tender  preference  for 
Richard.  As  far  as  he  might,  Storri  had  taught  him 
self  contempt  for  Richard.  This  was  not  the  simplest 
task;  it  is  hard  to  despise  one  whom  your  heart  fears, 
and  before  whose  glance  your  own  eyes  waver  and  give 
way.  Still,  Storri  got  on  with  his  contempt  beyond 


160  THE  PRESIDENT 

what  one  might  have  imagined.  He  considered  all 
Americans  beneath  him,  and  Richard  was  an  American. 
There  he  had  an  advantage  at  the  start.  Also,  Richard 
was  of  the  newspapers.  Even  those  Americans  about 
him,  with  their  own  sneers  and  shoulder-shrugs,  showed 
him  how  such  folk  were  unworthy  genteel  countenance. 
They  looked  down  upon  Richard,  Storri  looked  down 
upon  them ;  the  greater  included  the  less,  and  deduc 
tions  were  easy.  Storri  arrived  at  a  most  happy  con 
tempt  of  Richard  as  a  mathematician  gets  to  the  solu 
tion  of  a  problem,  and,  being  mercurial,  not  thoughtful, 
arranged  with  himself  that  Richard  was  below  consid 
eration. 

Richard  and  Storri  made  no  sign  of  social  recogni 
tion  when  their  paths  crossed  by  chance.  At  such  times 
the  latter  held  an  attitude  of  staring  superiority — the 
fellow,  perhaps,  to  that  which  belonged  with  Captain 
Cook  when  first  he  saw  the  Sandwich  Islanders.  Had 
Storri  been  of  reflective  turn  he  might  have  remembered 
that,  as  a  gustatory  finale,  those  serene  islanders 
roasted  the  mariner,  and  made  their  dinner  off  him. 

Mr.  Harley  was  a  busy  man,  and  yet  he  had  no  office 
rooms.  This  was  not  his  fault ;  he  had  once  set  out 
to  establish  himself  with  such  a  theater  of  effort,  but 
Senator  Hanway  put  down  his  foot. 

"  No ;  no  office,  John !  "  said  that  statesman. 

Then  Senator  Hanway,  who  was  as  furtive  as  a  mink, 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    161 

called  Mr.  Harley's  attention  to  the  explanation  which 
a  narrow  world  would  give.  Those  office  rooms  would 
be  pointed  to  as  the  market-place  where  corporations 
might  trade  for  his,  Senator  Hanway's,  services. 

"  If  you  please,  we'll  have  no  such  argument  going 
about,"  observed  Senator  Hanway. 

This  want  of  a  business  headquarters,  while  it  may 
have  been  an  inconvenience  to  Mr.  Harlcy,  now  arose 
to  dovetail  with  the  desires  of  Storri.  It  gave  him  a 
pretext  for  calling  at  the  Harlcy  house ;  with  Mr.  Har- 
ley  as  excuse,  and  making  a  pretense  of  having  business 
with  him,  he  could  break  in  at  all  manner  of  queer 
hours. 

Storri  made  a  study  of  the  Harley  household.  About 
four  of  the  afternoon  it  was  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's 
habit  to  retire  and  refresh  herself  with  a  nap,  against 
the  demands  of  dinner  and  what  social  gaycties  might 
follow.  Mr.  Harlcy,  himself,  was  apt  to  be  hovering 
about  the  Senate  corridors.  Or  he  would  be  holding 
pow-wow  with  men  of  importance,  that  is  to  say,  money, 
at  one  of  the  hotels.  Dorothy,  who  was  not  interested 
in  dark-lantern  legislation,  and  required  no  restoring 
naps,  would  be  alone.  Wherefore,  it  became  the  prac 
tice  of  Storri  to  appear  of  an  afternoon  at  the  Harlcy 
house,  and  ask  for  Mr.  Harley.  Not  finding  that  busi 
ness  man,  Storri,  who  did  not  insist  that  his  errand 
was  desperate,  would  idle  an  hour  with  Dorothy. 


162  THE  PRESIDENT 

Storri  thought  himself  one  to  fascinate  a  woman,  and 
had  a  fine  confidence  in  his  powers  to  charm.  He  had 
studied  conquest  as  an  art.  When  he  beleagured  a 
girl's  heart,  his  first  approaches  were  modeled  on  the 
free  and  jovial.  During  these  afternoon  calls  he  talked 
much,  laughed  loudly,  and  by  his  manner  would  have  it 
that  Dorothy  and  he  were  on  cheeriest  terms.  Storri 
made  no  headway;  Dorothy  met  his  laughter  with  a 
cool  reserve  that  baffled  while  it  left  him  furious. 

Storri  essayed  the  sentimental,  and  came  worn  with 
homesickness.  He  was  near  to  tears  as  he  related  the 
imaginary  sickness  of  a  mother  whom  he  had  invented 
for  the  purpose.  Dorothy's  cool  reserve  continued. 
She  sympathized,  conversationally,  and  hoped  that 
Storri  would  hurry  to  his  expiring  parent's  side. 

Storri,  like  Richard,  craved  a  rose  and  got  it;  but 
he  fastened  it  upon  his  lapel  himself. 

On  Storri's  fourth  call  Bess  Marklin  came  in.  Being 
there,  Bess  took  Storri  to  herself.  She  betrayed  a  sur 
prising  interest  in  statistics — the  populations  of  cities, 
crops,  politics,  and  every  other  form  of  European  what 
not — and  kept  Storri  answering  questions  like  a  school 
boy.  Thereafter,  Storri  was  no  sooner  in  the  Harley 
house  when,  presto!  from  over  the  way  our  pythoness 
sweeps  in.  Bess  was  there  before  the  servant  had  taken 
Storri's  hat.  This  disturbing  fortune  depressed  him; 
he  attributed  it  to  ill  luck,  never  once  observing  that 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    163 

the  instant  he  appeared,  Dorothy's  black  maid  skipped 
across  to  summon  Bess. 

"  Really,  Bess,"  pleaded  Dorothy,  following  Storri' s 
fourth  call — she  had  gone  to  the  Marklins'  just  after 
her  admirer  left — "  really,  Bess,  if  you  love  me,  rescue 
me.  There  was  never  such  a  bore!  Positively,  the 
creature  will  send  me  to  my  grave!  And,  besides," 
— with  a  little  shiver, — "  I  have  a  horror  of  the 
man!" 

And  so  the  good  Bess  came  each  time,  and  faithfully 
refused  to  budge  for  the  whole  of  Storri's  visit.  With 
that,  the  latter  saw  less  and  less  reason  to  confer  with 
Mr.  Harley  of  an  afternoon;  also  he  resolved  upon 
a  change  of  tactics  in  his  siege  of  Dorothy. 

Thus  far  Storri  had  failed,  and  the  failure  set  him 
on  fire.  The  savage  in  him  was  stirred.  His  vanity 
found  itself  defied ;  and  the  onyx  eyes  would  burn,  and 
the  mustaches  twist  like  snakes,  as  he  reflected  on  how 
he  had  been  foiled  and  put  aside.  Had  he  known  that 
Richard  was  in  Dorothy's  thought,  that  it  was  he  to 
hold  her  heart  against  him,  Storri  would  have  choked. 
But  he  had  gathered  no  such  knowledge ;  nor  was 
he  posted  as  to  those  morning  love  trysts  at  which 
Senator  Hanway  unconsciously  presided. 

Storri  still  visited  the  Harley  house,  but  his  visits 
were  now  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  And  he  would 
pour  compliments  for  that  shallow  lady,  which  said 


164  THE  PRESIDENT 

compliments  our  shallow  one  drank  in  like  water  from 
the  well.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  never  known  a 
more  finished  gentleman ;  and  so  she  told  her  friends. 

"  It  is  a  pity,"  cried  Storri  one  day,  "  that  Europe 
has  none  such  as  yourself  to  set  examples  of  refine 
ment  !  Now  if  your  beautiful  daughter  would  but  make 
some  nobleman  happy  as  his  wife !  You  would  come  to 
Europe,  no  ?  "  and  Storri  spread  his  hands  in  rapture 
over  so  much  possible  good  fortune.  "  Yes,  if  your 
lovely  daughter  would  but  condescend !  "  Storri  paused, 
and  sighed  a  sigh  of  power. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  thought  this  exceeding  fine ;  the 
treacle  of  coarse  compliment  sweetened  it  to  her  lips. 
Some  would  have  laughed  at  such  fustian.  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley  was  none  of  these ;  the  compliment  .she 
laughed  at  must  emanate  from  someone  not  a  Count. 
None  the  less,  she  could  see  that  something  was  at  the 
back  of  it  all.  There  was  Storri's  sigh  as  though  a 
heart  had  broken.  Had  Storri  made  some  soft  ad 
vance,  and  had  Dorothy  repulsed  him?  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  could  have  shaken  the  girl ! 

Storri  read  all  this  in  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  face 
as  though  it  had  been  written  upon  paper.  He  saw 
that  the  mother  would  be  his  ally ;  Mrs.  Hanway-Har 
ley  was  ready  to  enlist  upon  his  side.  Thereupon, 
Storri  drew  himself  together  with  dignity. 

"  In  my  own  land,  madam,"  said  Storri,  conveying 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    165 

the  impression  of  a  limitless  deference  for  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harlej,  "  it  is  not  permitted  that  a  gentleman  pay  his 
addresses  to  the  daughter  until  he  has  her  mother's 
consent.  I  adore  your  daughter — who  could  help! — 
but  I  cannot  tell  her  unless  you  approve.  And  so, 
madam,"  with  a  deepest  of  bows,  "  I,  who  am  a  Rus 
sian  gentleman,  come  to  you." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harlcy  was  not  so  sinuously  adroit  as 
her  brother,  Senator  Hanway,  but  she  was  capable  of 
every  conventional  art.  If  Storri's  declaration  stirred 
her  pride,  she  never  showed  it ;  if  her  soul  exulted  at 
a  title  in  her  family  and  a  probable  presentation  of 
herself  to  royalty,  she  concealed  it.  True,  she  was  in 
clined  to  tilt  her  nose  a  vulgar  bit;  but  she  did  not  let 
Storri  perceive  it,  reserving  the  nose-tilting  for  ladies 
of  her  acquaintance,  when  the  betrothal  of  Dorothy 
and  Storri  should  be  announced.  Indeed,  her  conduct, 
on  the  honorable  occasion  of  Storri's  request,  could  not 
have  been  more  graceful  nor  more  guarded.  She  said 
that  she  was  honored  by  Storri's  proposal,  and  touched 
by  his  delicacy  in  first  coming  to  her.  She  could  do  no 
more,  however,  than  grant  him  the  permission  craved, 
and  secure  to  him  her  best  wishes. 

"  For,  much  as  I  love  my  daughter,"  explained  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley,  mounting  a  maternal  pedestal  and 
posing,  "  I  could  not  think  of  coercing  her  choice.  She 
will  marry  where  she  loves."  A  sigh  at  this  period. 


166  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  I  can  only  say  that,  should  she  love  where  you  desire, 
it  cannot  fail  to  engage  my  full  approval." 

Storri  pressed  his  lips  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  hand 
as  well  as  he  could  for  the  interfering  crust  of  dia 
monds,  and  said  she  had  made  him  happy. 

"  It  will  be  bliss,  madam,  to  call  myself  your  daugh 
ter's  husband,"  said  Storri ;  "  but  it  will  be  highest 
honor  to  find  myself  your  son." 

Storri  did  not  tell  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  of  those 
afternoon  calls,  and  the  blight  of  Bess  to  fall  upon 
them  with  her  eternal  crops  and  politics  and  popula 
tions.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  while  she  grievously  sus 
pected  from  StorrPs  sigh — which  little  whisper  of  de 
spair  still  sounded  in  her  ears — that  he  had  met  re 
verses,  would  not  voice  her  surmise.  She  would  treat 
the  affair  as  commencing  with  Storri's  request.  But  she 
would  watch  Dorothy ;  and  if  she  detected  symptoms  of 
failure  to  appreciate  Storri  as  a  nobleman  possessing 
wealth  and  station, — in  short,  if  Dorothy  betrayed 
an  intention  to  refuse  his  exalted  hand, — then  she,  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley,  would  interfere.  She  would  take 
Dorothy  in  solemn  charge,  and  compel  that  obtuse 
maiden  to  what  redounded  to  her  good.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  doubted  neither  the  propriety  nor  the  feasibility 
of  establishing  a  censorship  over  Dorothy's  heart, 
should  the  young  lady  evince  a  blinded  inability  to  see 
her  own  welfare. 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    167 

"  That  is  what  a  mother  is  for,"  she  ruminated. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  forcibly  administered 
paregoric  in  Dorothy's  babyhood;  she  was  ready  to 
forcibly  administer  a  husband  now  Dorothy  was  grown 
up.  The  cases  were  in  precise  parallel,  and  never  the 
ray  of  distrust  entered  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  mind. 
Dorothy  was  not  to  escape  good  fortune  merely  be 
cause,  through  some  perversity  of  girlish  ignorance, 
she  might  choose  to  waive  it  aside. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  Mr.  Harley  ask  Storri  to 
dinner  on  an  average  twice  a  week ;  she  made  these  slen 
der  banquets  wholly  informal,  and  quite  as  though 
Storri  were  an  intimate  family  friend.  Storri  com 
mended  the  absence  of  stilts,  this  abandonment  of  the 
conventional. 

"  It  is  what  I  like !  "  cried  he ;  "  it  is  the  compli 
ment  I  shall  most  speak  of  when  I  am  back  with  my 
Czar." 

Following  dinner,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  would  have 
Storri  to  the  library  in  engagingly  familiar  fashion. 

Senator  Hanway  went  always  to  his  study  after 
dinner,  to  receive  visitors  through  that  veranda  door, 
and  prune  and  train  the  vine  of  his  Presidential  hopes 
with  confabs  and  new  plans,  into  which  he  and  those 
visitors — who  were  folk  of  power  in  their  home  States 
— unreservedly  plunged.  Mr.  Harley,  who  was  not 
domestic  and  feared  nothing  so  much  as  an  evening  at 


168  THE  PRESIDENT 

home,  would  give  an  excuse  more  or  less  feeble  and 
go  abroad  into  the  town.  This  left  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley,  Dorothy,  and  Storri  to  themselves ;  and  the 
maternal  ally  saw  to  it  that  the  noble  lover  was  granted 
a  chance  to  press  his  suit.  That  is  to  say,  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  gave  Storri  a  chance  so  far  as  lay 
in  her  accommodating  power;  for  she  developed  an 
inexhaustible  roll  of  reasons  for  leaving  the  room,  and 
in  her  kind  sagacity  never  failed  to  stay  away  at 
least  five  minutes.  And  a  world  and  all  of  love  may 
be  made  in  five  minutes,  when  both  parties  set  their 
hearts  and  souls  to  the  dulcet  enterprise. 

Storri  was  ardent,  and  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  dis 
creet,  and  both  displayed  talents  for  intrigue  and  exe 
cution  that,  on  other  days,  in  other  fields,  might  well 
have  saved  a  state.  And  yet  there  was  no  blushing 
progress  to  the  love-making!  Dorothy's  behavior  was 
unaccountable.  The  first  evening  she  sat  in  marble 
silence,  like  an  image.  The  next,  she  would  not  come 
down  to  dinner,  saying  she  was  sick  and  could  not  cat. 
The  invalid  put  in  a  most  successful  evening  in  her 
room,  thinking  of  Richard,  and  gorging  on  miscella 
neous  dishes  which  her  sable  maid  abstracted  from  below. 
She  would  have  been  ill  the  third  time,  but  her  mother 
set  her  face  like  flint  against  such  excuse.  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley  declared  that  Dorothy's  desertion  was  dis 
graceful  at  a  moment  when  she,  her  mother,  needed  her 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    169 

help  to  entertain  their  visitor.  With  that,  Dorothy's 
indisposition  yielded,  and  she  so  far  recovered  as  to  play 
her  part  at  table  with  commendable  spirit,  eating  quite 
as  much  as  her  mother,  who  was  no  one  to  dine  like  a 
bird.  But  Dorothy  took  her  revenge;  she  talked  of 
nothing  but  Richard,  and  the  conversations  on  poli 
tics  which  he  and  "  Uncle  Pat  "  indulged  in  during 
those  eleven-o'clock  calls. 

Storri  glowered;  more,  he  became  aware  of  Richard 
as  the  daily  comrade  of  Dorothy.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  herself  was  struck  by  some  shadow  of  the  truth ; 
but  she  got  no  more  than  what  Scotchmen  call  a 
"  glisk,"  and  she  gave  the  matter  no  sufficient  weight. 
Later,  she  clothed  it  with  more  importance. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  however,  was  moved  to  re 
prove  Dorothy  from  out  the  wealth  of  her  experiences. 

"  Child,"  said  she,  when  Storri  was  gone,  "  you 
should  never  try  to  entertain  one  gentleman  by  telling 
him  about  another ;  it  only  makes  him  furious." 

"  I  didn't,  mamma,"  said  Dorothy,  her  eyes  inno 
cently  round. 

"  You  did,  only  you  failed  to  notice  it,"  returned 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  "  After  this,  be  more  upon 
your  guard." 

"  I  will,  mamma,"  replied  Dorothy  demurely ;  but 
she  was  too  sly  to  say  against  what  she  should  guard. 

On  the  next  Storri  evening,  Dorothy  returned  to  the 


170  THE  PRESIDENT 

old  ruse.  She  set  a  lamp  in  her  chamber  window,  the 
effect  of  the  beacon  being  that  Bess  came  across  from 
her  house,  as  the  clock  scored  eight  and  one-half,  and 
joined  the  Harley  party.  It  was  nothing  out  of  com 
mon  for  Bess  to  do  this;  she  and  Dorothy  had  been 
bosom  friends  since  days  when  the  two  wore  their  hair 
in  pigtails  and  their  frocks  to  their  knees.  Bess  came 
not  only  that  evening,  but  every  Storri  evening;  and 
whether  or  no  she  were  a  welcome,  at  least  she  was  a 
pertinacious  visitor,  for  she  stayed  unrelentingly  until 
Storri,  losing  courage,  went  his  way. 

Storri  bit  his  angry  lip  over  Bess,  for  he  now  began 
to  read  the  argument  of  her  advent.  It  was  Dorothy's 
defense  against  him,  and  in  its  kind  an  insult.  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  also  became  more  and  more  instructed 
in  this  love-match  so  near  her  heart,  and  those  difficulties 
which  the  capricious  coldness  of  Dorothy  arranged  for 
its  discouragement.  The  placidity  of  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  was  becoming  ruffled ;  the  hour  was  drawing  on 
apace  when  she  would  make  clear  her  position.  She 
would  issue  those  commands  which  were  to  fix  the  atti 
tude  of  Dorothy  towards  the  sighing  Storri  and  his 
love. 

Dorothy  called  Bess  her  guardian  angel.  The  G.  A. 
accepted  the  position  and  its  duties  with  that  admirable 
composure  which  you  have  already  observed  was  among 
her  characteristics.  The  fair  Bess  was  one  of  those 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    171 

whom  their  friends,  without  intending  offense,  describe 
as  mildly  eccentric.  That  is  to  say,  Bess  had  peculiar 
ities  which  were  in  part  native  and  in  part  the  work  of 
an  environment.  She  was  an  only  child,  and  that  was 
bad ;  she  was  a  doctor's  child,  and  that  was  worse.  Not 
that  her  father  had  been  so  recklessly  dense  as  to  try 
his  drugs  on  her;  he  knew  too  much  for  that.  But 
your  doctor's  children  oft  get  an  unusual  bringing  up, 
and  the  chances  in  favor  of  the  extraordinary  in  that 
behalf  are  doubled  where  there  is  only  one  child. 

Mother  Marklin  had  been  an  invalid  from  the  baby 
hood  of  Bess.  Father  Marklin,  in  those  intervals 
when  his  brougham  was  not  racing  from  one  languid, 
dyspeptic,  dance-tiredj  dinner-weary,  rout-exhausted 
woman  to  another  at  ten  dollars  a  drooping  head,  looked 
after  Bess  in  that  spirit  of  argus-eyed  solicitude  with 
which  a  government  looks  after  its  crown  jewels.  Bess 
was  herded,  not  to  say  hived,  and  her  childish  days  were 
days  of  captivity.  She  was  prisoner  to  her  father's 
loving  apprehensions,  he  being  afraid  to  have  her  out 
of  sight. 

Then  came  her  father's  death,  and  the  Marklin  house 
hold  devolved  upon  Bess's  hands  when  the  hands  were 
new  and  small  and  weak ;  and  the  load  served  to  em 
phasize  Bess  in  divers  ways.  When  not  waiting  upon 
the  invalid  Mother  Marklin,  Bess  broke  into  her  father's 
bookshelves,  and  read  the  owlish  authors  such  as  Bacon 


172  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  Dr.  Johnson,  with  side-flights  into  Montaigne, 
Voltaire,  Amiel,  and  others  of  hectic  kidney.  She 
discovered,  moreover,  a  sympathy  with  those  women 
of  strong  minds  who  have  a  quarrel  with  Providence 
for  that  they  were  not  made  men.  Bess  believed  in  the 
equality  of  the  sexes,  without  pausing  to  ask  in  what 
they  were  unequal,  and  stood  stoutly  for  the  Rights  of 
Woman,  knowing  not  wherein  She  was  wronged  or  in 
what  manner  and  to  what  extent  She  had  been  given 
the  worst  of  life's  bargain.  Bess  was  not  a  blue-stock 
ing,  as  Richard  would  have  had  it,  and  made  no  literary 
pretenses ;  but  she  suffered  from  opinions  concerning 
topics  such  as  husband  and  wife,  that  so  far  had  had 
nothing  better  than  theory  to  rest  upon.  All  the  same, 
her  friends  were  deeply  satisfied  with  Bess ;  which  helped 
that  young  lady  to  a  sense  of  satisfaction  with  herself 
and  with  them. 

As  head  of  the  Marklins,  Bess  was  made  to  decide 
things  for  herself.  At  that,  she  decided  in  favor  of 
nothing  terrifying.  She  drank  tea  between  three  and 
six  each  afternoon;  she  kept  a  cat  named  Ajax;  and 
she  resolved  to  marry  Mr.  Fopling. 

The  latter  young  gentleman  Bess  called  to  her  side 
when  she  pleased,  dismissed  when  he  wearied  her,  and  in 
all  respects  controlled  his  conclusions,  his  conversations, 
and  his  whereabouts,  as  Heaven  meant  she  should.  Bess 
preferred  that  Mr.  Fopling  call  during  the  afternoon; 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    173 

she  required  the  morning  for  her  household  duties,  and, 
when  not  screening  Dorothy  from  Storri,  saved  the 
evening  for  her  books. 

Ajax  was  a  grave  and  formal  cat,  and,  in  his  way, 
a  personage.  He  was  decorous  to  a  degree,  unbended 
in  no  confidences  with  strangers,  and  hated  Mr.  Fop- 
ling,  whom  he  regarded  as  either  a  graceless  profligate 
or  a  domestic  animal  of  unsettled  species  who,  through 
no  merit  and  by  rank  favoritism,  had  been  granted  a 
place  in  the  household  superior  to  his  own.  At  sight 
of  Mr.  Fopling,  Ajax  would  bottle-brush  his  tail,  arch 
his  back,  and  explode  into  that  ejaculation  peculiar  to 
cats.  Mr.  Fopling  feared  Ajax,  holding  him  to  be 
rabid  and  not  knowing  when  he  would  do  those  rending 
deeds  of  tooth  and  claw  upon  him,  of  which  the  ejacu 
lation,  the  arched  back,  and  the  bottle-brush  were  signs 
and  portents. 

It  was  the  afternoon  of  the  day  following  one  of 
those  Harley  dinners  whereat  Storri  had  been  the  sole 
and  honored  guest,  and  Bess  was  sipping  her  tea.  Her 
two  favorites,  Ajax  and  Mr.  Fopling,  were  sitting  in 
their  respective  chairs,  regarding  each  other  with  their 
usual  suspicion  and  distrust.  Mr.  Fopling,  by  com 
mand  of  Bess  and  so  far  as  he  might  control  himself, 
was  paying  no  attention  to  Ajax.  Ajax,  for  his  part, 
was  surveying  Mr.  Fopling  with  a  sour  stare,  as  though 
he  found  much  in  that  young  gentleman's  appearance 


174  THE  PRESIDENT 

to  criticise.  At  intervals,  he  made  growling  comments 
upon  Mr.  Fopling. 

"Unless  you  and  Ajax  can  agree,"  observed  Bess 
soberly,  "  one  or  the  other  might  better  go  into  the 
library." 

Mr.  Fopling  made  no  demur;  he  was  glad  to  go. 
When  he  was  out  of  the  room,  Ajax  came  and  rubbed 
about  his  mistress  as  though  claiming  credit  for  ousting 
Mr.  Fopling,  of  whom  he  was  certain  Bess  thought  as 
badly  as  did  he. 

Bess  was  sitting  where  she  commanded  a  prospect  of 
the  street.  Who  should  come  swinging  up  the  way 
but  Richard?  It  was  the  habit  of  that  rising  journal 
ist  to  make  one  or  two  daily  excursions  past  the  Harley 
house.  Richard  was  none  of  your  moon-mad  ones  who 
would  strum  a  midnight  lute  beneatji  a  fair  maid's 
window.  Still,  he  liked  to  walk  by  the  Harley  house; 
the  temporary  nearness  of  Dorothy  did  his  soul  good. 
Besides,  he  now  and  then  caught  a  glimpse  of  her 
through  the  window. 

Richard  was  on  the  Marklin  side  of  the  street,  and 
as  he  was  for  going  by — back  to  Bess  and  eyes  on  the 
Harley  house — Bess  rapped  on  the  pane  and  beckoned 
him. 

Richard  lifted  his  hat  and  obeyed  directly.  He  had 
already  met  Bess  several  times  when  Dorothy  and  he, 
with  a  purpose  to  spin  out  their  eleven-o'clock  inter- 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    175 

view,  had  seized  on  Bess  as  a  method.  They  could  not 
remain  staring  at  one  another  in  Senator  Hanway's 
study ;  even  that  preoccupied  publicist  would  have  been 
struck  by  the  strangeness  of  such  a  maneuver.  The 
best,  because  the  only,  thing  was  to  make  a  pretext  of 
Bess  and  transfer  their  love-glances  to  her  premises. 
This  was  the  earliest  time,  however,  that  Richard  had 
been  asked  to  visit  Bess  alone,  and  he  confessed  to  a 
feeling  of  curiosity,  as  he  climbed  the  steps,  concerning 
the  purpose  of  the  summons. 

Bess  some  time  before  had  had  that  threatened 
talk  with  Richard  concerning  marriage  and  hus 
bands. 

"  Wedlock,"  declared  Bess,  on  that  edifying  occasion, 
while  Richard  grinned  and  Dorothy  rebuked  him  with 
a  frown,  "  wedlock  results  always  in  the  owner  and  the 
owned — a  slave  and  a  despot.  That  is  by  the  wife's 
decree.  The  husband  is  slave  and  she  despot,  or  he  the 
despot  and  she  the  slave,  as  best  matches  with  her 
strength  or  weakness.  Some  women  desire  slavery ; 
they  would  be  unhappy  without  a  tyrant  to  obey." 

"  And  you — are  you  of  those?  "  asked  Richard,  half 
mocking  Bess. 

"  No ;  I  prefer  the  role  of  despot.  It  is  the  reason 
why  I  shall  marry  Mr.  Fopling." 

"  And  yet  Mr.  Fopling  might  turn  out  a  perfect 
Caligula,"  said  Richard,  with  a  vast  pretense  of  warn- 


176  THE  PRESIDENT 

ing.  Mr.  Fopling  was  not  there  to  hear  himself  ill- 
used. 

"  Mr.  Fopling,"  observed  Bess,  in  tones  of  lofty  con 
viction,  "  has  no  ambitions,  no  energies,  no  thoughts ; 
and  he  has  money.  In  brief,  he  is  beset  by  none  of 
those  causes  that  excite  and  drive  men  into  politics  or 
literature  or  trade.  He  will  have  nothing  to  consider 
in  his  life  but  me." 

"  But,"  said  Richard,  "  Mr.  Fopling  might  turn  out 
in  the  end  a  veritable  Vesuvius.  Mr.  Fopling  has 
often  struck  me  as  volcanic;  who  shall  say  that  he  will 
not  some  day  erupt  ?  " 

Bess  was  not  to  be  frightened. 

"  Mr.  Fopling  will  do  and  say  and  think  as  I  direct ; 
and  we  shall  be  very,  very  happy." 

Richard  gave  Dorothy  a  comical  look  of  simulated 
dismay ;  and  shook  his  head  as  though  counseling 
against  such  li^rcsies. 

"  Of  course,"  Bess  continued,  "  what  I  propose  for 
Mr.  Fopling  would  not  do  for  you.  Were  you  and  I 
to  marry  "  —Dorothy  started — "  it  would  result  in 
civil  war.  I've  no  doubt  that  you  will  be  given  a  wife 
worthy  your  tyrannical  deserts.  She  will  find  her  hap 
piness  in  sitting  at  your  feet,  while  her  love  will  make 
you  its  trellis  to  climb  and  clamber  on." 

The  conversation  was  not  so  foolishly  serious  as  it 
sounds,  and  for  the  most  part  Bess  and  Richard  were 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    177 

indulging  in  just  no  more  than  so  much  verbal  sparring. 
Dorothy  took  no  side ;  those  questions  of  marriages 
and  wives  and  husbands  would  ever  find  her  tongue-tied 
if  Richard  were  around. 

"  Will  you  have  some  tea?  "  asked  Bess,  when  Rich 
ard,  in  response  to  the  rapped  window,  made  his  way 
into  her  presence. 

No,  Richard  would  not  have  tea. 

"  Then  you  may  smoke,"  said  Bess.  "  That  proves 
me  your  friend,  doesn't  it?"  as  Richard  started  a 
grateful  cloud.  "  Now,  to  repay  my  friendship,  I 
want  to  ask  a  question  and  a  favor." 

"  You  shall !  "  cried  Richard  magniloquently.  Bess 
and  he  were  on  amiable  terms,  and  he  was  secretly  as 
sured  that  the  blonde  pythoness  approved  him.  "  What 
am  I  to  answer?  What  am  I  to  do?  Has  the  cher 
ished  Fopling  gone  astray?  Say  but  the  word,  and  I 
shall  hale  him  to  your  feet." 

"  Mr.  Fopling  is  in  the  library,"  replied  Bess.  "  He 
and  Ajax  could  not  get  along  without  quarreling, 
and  I  separated  them.  The  question  and  the  favor 
refer  to  Dorothy." 

Richard  colored. 

"  What  is  the  question?  "  said  he,  his  voice  turning 
deep  and  soft. 

"  Do  you  love  her? "  This  staggered  Richard. 
Bess  came  to  his  aid.  "  I  know  you  do,"  said  she ;  "  I'll 


178  THE  PRESIDENT 

answer  the  query  for  you.  The  real  question  I  wanted 
to  ask  is,  Have  you  told  her?  And  that  I'll  answer: 
You  have  not." 

"  What  does  this  lead  to?  "  broke  in  Richard.  A 
half -score  of  daunting  surmises  had  come  up  to  shake 
him. 

"  Don't  you  think  you  might  better  tell  her?  "  con 
tinued  Bess,  not  heeding  the  question. 

"  She  knows,"  returned  Richard,  drawing  a  breath. 
"  Dorothy  knows.  I've  seen  the  knowledge  in  her  eyes. 
And  she  loves  me !  " 

"  I've  no  doubt  you've  seen  marvelous  things  in  one 
another's  eyes,"  retorted  Bess  in  a  matter-of-fact  way ; 
"  but  I  say  again:  Wouldn't  it  be  wise  to  tell  her?  " 

"  Frankly,  yes,"  replied  Richard,  driven  desperate. 
"  I  have  been  on  the  threshold  of  it,  but  somehow  I 
couldn't  lay  hands  on  just  the  words.  Dorothy  knows 
I  love  her !  "  he  repeated  as  though  to  himself.  "  It 
would  be  only  a  formality." 

"  There  is  the  very  point,"  observed  Bess.  "  It  is 
the  formality  that  has  become  important.  Do  you 
think  I  would  break  in  upon  your  dreams,  else  ?  A  for 
mality  is  a  fence.  If  you  owned  a  bed  of  flowers,  would 
you  build  a  fence  about  it?  Then  fence  in  your  Doro 
thy  with  a  formal  offer  of  your  love." 

"  I  shall  not  rest  until  I've  done  so !  "  cried  Richard, 
catching  fire. 


STORRI  WOOES  MRS.  HANWAY-HARLEY    179 

"  And  then  you  will  have  done  the  wise  and  safe  and 
just  and  loving  thing!  Who  taught  you  to  ignore 
formalities?  They  are  one's  evidence  of  title.  Build 
your  fence.  It  will  be  like  saying  to  Storri:  So  far 
shalt  thou  come  and  no  farther." 

Bess  looked  curiously  at  Richard.  She  had  men 
tioned  Storri  in  a  mood  of  mischief,  as  one  spurs  a 
gamesome  horse  to  stir  its  mettle.  Richard's  brow  was 
a  thundercloud. 

"  Why  do  you  name  Storri  with  Dorothy  ? — a  ser 
pent  and  a  dove !  "  he  said,  in  tones  very  slow  and  full. 

"  Dorothy  will  tell  you,"  replied  Bess.  "  She  will 
turn  marvelously  loquacious,  once  she  finds  herself  be 
hind  her  fence." 

•  "  How  shall  I  go  to  her?  "  exclaimed  Richard.    "  My 
heart  will  be  sick  until  I've  told  her." 

"  You  will  not  have  long  to  wait,"  said  Bess  laugh 
ingly.  "  She  should  have  been  here  ten  minutes  ago. 
I  can't  see  what  detains  her." 

Richard  looked  bewildered  and  a  little  shocked. 
"  Surely,"  he  began,  "  Dorothy  didn't " 

"  No,  no ;  you  are  not  the  victim  of  a  plot,  Sir  Sus 
picious  One !  "  cried  Bess.  "  It  is  a  wonder  that  you 
are  not,  for  your  dullness  surpasses  belief.  Do  you 
imagine  Dorothy  doesn't  see  you  every  time  you  walk 
this  street?  that  she  hasn't  seen  you  to-day?  that  she 
didn't  see  you  come  in?  that  she  won't  invent  some 


180  THE  PRESIDENT 

pretext  for  running  over?  Oh,  foolish,  foolish  bride 
groom!  You  may  guess  how  foolish  by  peeping  from 
the  window,  for  here  your  Dorothy  comes." 

At  this,  the  benignant  Bess,  having  questioned,  ad 
vised,  admonished,  and,  in  a  measure,  berated  Richard, 
gave  him  her  hand,  as  if  she  would  give  him  courage; 
and  Richard,  with  the  praiseworthy  purpose  of  getting 
all  the  courage  he  could,  lifted  it  to  his  lips.  That  was 
the  blasting  tableau  at  the  moment  Dorothy  stood  in 
the  door. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Dorothy.  Then  her  brow  crimsoned, 
and  her  eyes  began  to  shine  like  angry  stars. 


CHAPTER    IX 

HOW     STORRI     MADE     AN     OFFER     OF     HIS     LOVE 

A  the  brow  of  red  and  those  angry  eyes  like 
stars,  Bess  smiled  superior,  in  beaming  tol 
eration    and    affection.     Bess    could    afford 
these   benevolences,   being   now    engaged   in    that   most 
delightful  of  all  Christian  tasks  to  a  woman,  viz.,  super 
intending   the   love-romance   of    another    woman.      She 
swept   sweetly   down    on   Dorothy ;   and   even   Richard, 
albeit  full  to. blindness  of  his  own  great  passion,  could 
not    help    but    sec    that    she    was    as    graceful    as    a 
goddess. 

Bess  placed  a  hand  on  each  of  Dorothy's  shoulders, 
and  kissed  her  brow  where  the  angry  red,  already  in 
doubt  as  to  the  propriety  of  its  presence,  was  trying  to 
steal  away  unnoticed. 

"  What  have  I  done?  "  said  Bess,  as  though  repeat 
ing  a  query  put  by  Dorothy.  "  Now  I  no  more  than 
found  a  wanderer,  who  loves  you  almost  as  dearly  as 
you  love  him,  and  who  would  not  see  the  way  to  go 
straight  to  you  with  his  offer  of  a  heart.  He  was  for 
traveling  miles  and  miles  around,  no  one  knows  how 
many,  by  all  kinds  of  hesitating  roads.  I  stopped  him 

181 


182  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  pointed  cross-lots  to  you.  That  is  my  whole  offense ; 
and  when  you  arrived,  the  wanderer,  in  a  spirit  of 
gratitude  I  entirely  commend,  was  very  properly  mum 
bling  over  my  hands." 

Bess  drew  Dorothy  into  the  room. 

"  There ! "  cried  she,  "  I  have  done  my  utmost  best 
for  both.  I  shall  now  look  after  Mr.  Fopling.  Poor 
child,  he  has  already  been  neglected  too  long ! " 

Bess,  departing,  left  behind  her  two  young  people 
wondrously  embarrassed.  Richard  had  been  plunged 
into  a  most  craven  condition ;  while  Dorothy,  head 
drooping  like  a  flower  gone  to  sleep,  the  flush  creeping 
from  her  brow  to  her  cheek,  began  to  cry  gently. 
Two  large,  round,  woeful  tears  came  slowly  into  the 
corners  of  her  eyes,  paused  a  moment  as  though  to  sur 
vey  the  world,  and  then  ran  timidly  down,  one  on  each 
side  of  her  nose. 

At  this  piteous  sight,  Richard  became  a  hero.  Being 
an  extremist  in  all  things,  Richard,  roused,  caught 
Dorothy  to  his  bosom — the  first  embrace  since  that 
blessed  boot-heel  evening  in  the  Waldorf!  He  folded 
her  in  those  Pict  arms  in  most  radical  fashion,  and 
kissed  her — they  were  like  unto  glimpses  of  heaven, 
those  kisses ! — kissed  her  eyes,  and  her  hair,  and  at  last 
her  lips,  measuring  one  kiss  from  another  with  words 
of  rapturous  endearment,  of  which  "  heart's  love  "  and 
"  darling  "  were  the  most  prudently  cool.  Richard  re- 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     183 

fused  to  free  Dorothy  from  out  his  arms,  not  that  she 
struggled  bitterly,  and  continued  for  full  ten  minutes 
in  the  utmost  bliss  and  incoherency. 

At  these  unexpected  pictures  of  Paradise  before  the 
Fall,  Ajax,  sole  spectator,  felt  profound  dismay.  He 
bottle-brushed  and  arched  and  exploded;  and  then,  the 
wretched  exhibition  continuing,  fled. 

At  last  Richard  listened  to  Dorothy,  and  released 
her  to  an  armchair ;  he  took  another,  fastened  his  eyes 
upon  her  like  visual  leeches,  and  drank  her  in. 

"  Who  so  blooming,  who  so  lovely,  who  so  glorious 
as  Dorothy  ?  "  thought  Richard,  on  whom  her  beauty 
grew  with  ever-increasing  witchery,  like  a  deep,  clear 
night  of  stars. 

And  yet,  the  dough-like  Fopling,  at  that  moment  in 
the  library  with  Bess,  would  have  fought  Richard  to 
the  death  on  a  simple  issue  that  Bess  was  Dorothy's 
beauteous  superior;  which,  so  far  from  proving  that 
love  is  blind,  shows  it  to  have  the  eyes  of  Argus. 

Richard  and  Dorothy  said  a  thousand  loving  things, 
and  meant  them ;  they  made  a  thousand  loving  com 
pacts,  and  kept  them  all. 

Suddenly  Richard  burst  forth  as  though  a  momen 
tous  and  usual  ceremony  had  been  overlooked. 

"  Oh,  ho !  "  cried  he,  "  you  haven't  asked  how  I  am 
to  support  a  wife." 

"  And  do  you  suppose  I  have  been  thinking  of  that?  " 


184  THE  PRESIDENT 

returned   Dorothy,  beginning  to   bridle.       "  For   that 
matter,  I  know  you  are  poor." 

"  And  how  did  you  dig  that  up  ?  " 

« Dig  I  »  This  with  the  utmost  resentment,  as 
though  repelling  a  slander.  "  Why,  you  told  mamma 
and  me  yourself.  It  was  the  day  she  was  rude  and 
asked  if  Mr.  Gwynn  would  make  you  his  heir." 

"  Surely,"  said  Richard,  grinning  cheerfully,  as  if 
a  puzzle  had  been  made  plain,  "  so  I  did." 

"  Sweetheart,  I  loved  you  from  that  moment !  "  cried 
Dorothy;  and  with  a  half -sob  to  be  company  for  the 
caress,  she  drifted  about  Richard's  neck. 

u  Now  I  should  call  poverty  worth  while !  "  said  Rich 
ard,  manfully  kissing  Dorothy  all  over  again,  since  she 
had  come  within  his  clutch.  Then,  replacing  her  in 
her  chair,  the  more  readily  because  he  reflected  that  he 
might  easily  repossess  himself  of  her,  he  continued: 
"  And  the  prospect  of  being  a  poor  man's  wife  does  not 
alarm  you,  darling?  " 

"  Oh,  Richard !  "  Then,  looking  him  squarely  in  the 
eyes :  "  No,  dear,  it  does  not  alarm  me." 

Dorothy  spoke  truth.  The  prospect  of  being  a  poor 
man's  wife  alarms  no  woman — before  marriage. 

Richard  was  in  a  whirl  when  he  left  the  Marklin 
door.  Bess  fairly  drove  him  forth,  or  he  might  not 
have  departed  at  all.  The  first  shadows  of  night  were 
falling,  but  the  whole  world  seemed  bright  as  noonday. 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE      185 

He  was  stricken  of  vague  surprise  to  observe  a  man  run 
ning  by  him,  torch  in  hand,  lighting  the  street  lamps. 
Controlling  his  astonishment,  Richard  greeted  the  man 
as  though  they  were  old  friends.  They  were  not  old 
friends,  and  the  effect  of  Richard's  greeting  was  to 
lead  the  man  of  lamps  to  think  him  drunk. 

"  Got  his  load  early !  "  quoth  the  one  of  lamps.  He 
tippled  himself,  and  was  versed  in  cup  proprieties,  which 
forbade  drunkenness  prior  to  ten  o'clock. 

Richard  continued  down  the  street.  It  was  as  if  he 
were  translated,  and  had  quitted  earth  to  walk  the 
clouds.  And  to  think  that  not  two  hours  before  he  had 
come  swinging  along  this  identical  thoroughfare,  never 
dreaming  of  the  heaven  of  those  loving  arms  into  which 
he  was  walking !  Blessed  be  Bess !  He  should  never 
forget  that  sorceress,  who  to  his  weakness  added  her 
strength,  and  to  his  ignorance  her  wisdom.  It  was  such 
an  extraordinary  thing,  now  that  Richard  had  time  to 
think  of  it,  that  Dorothy  should  love  him !  And  more 
amazing  that  she  should  press  her  cheek  to  his  and  tell 
him  of  it !  Oh,  he  could  still  feel  that  round,  warm, 
velvet  cheek  against  his  own!  It  was  such  joy  to  re 
member,  too,  that  it  was  merely  the  beginning  of  an 
eternity  of  those  soft  endearments !  it  remade  the  world ; 
and  all  things,  even  those  most  week-a-day  and  common 
place,  came  upon  him  in  colors  so  new  and  strange  and 
rich  and  sweet — touched  as  they  were  with  this  trans- 


186  THE  PRESIDENT 

forming  light  of  Dorothy's  love!  Richard  plowed 
through  the  winter  evening  in  a  most  ridiculous 
frame  of  mind,  midway  between  transports  and  imbe 
cility. 

"  You  will  see  me  to-morrow  ?  "  pleaded  Dorothy,  as 
he  came  away. 

Whereat  Richard  averred  doughtily  that  he  should. 

Neither  of  the  two  having  the  practical  wit  to  settle 
hour  or  place,  Bess,  who  the  moment  before  had  re 
turned  to  them  from  Mr.  Fopling  with  intelligence 
coolly  unimpaired,  said: 

"  Four  o'clock,  then ;  and,  if  I  may  make  a  sug 
gestion,  you  might  better  meet  here." 

It  was  among  the  miracles  how  the  high  beatitude 
consequent  upon  that  wonderful  event  of  Dorothy's 
love  put  Richard  in  a  vaguely  belligerent  mood.  It  was 
an  amiable  ferocity  at  that,  and  showed  in  nothing  more 
dire  than  just  an  eye  of  overt  challenge  to  all  the  world. 
Also,  he  dilated  and  swelled  in  sheer  masculine  pride  of 
himself,  and  no  longer  walked  the  streets,  but  stalked. 
Naturalists  will  not  be  surprised  by  these  revelations, 
having  observed  kindred  phenomena  in  the  males  among 
other  species  of  animals. 

In  this  lofty  spirit,  and  by  a  fashion  of  instinct,  Rich 
ard  headed  for  the  club.  At  the  club,  by  the  best  of 
fortune,  as  he  would  have  said  in  his  then  temper,  he 
located  Storri;  and  thereupon  he  bent  upon  said  pa- 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE  187 

trician  such  an  iron  stare  of  confident  insolence  that 
the  object  of  it  was  appreciably  worried,  turning  white, 
then  red,  then  white,  and  in  the  finish  leaving  the  room, 
unable  to  sustain  himself  in  the  face  of  so  much  triumph 
and  truculence. 

In  the  midst  of  this  splendor  of  the  soul,  and  just 
as  Richard  had  begun  to  feel  a  catholic  pity  for  all 
mankind  to  think  not  one  beyond  himself  was  loved  by 
Dorothy,  a  message  was  thrust  between  his  fingers.  It 
ran  thus : 

R.  STORMS, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

What's  the  matter?     Where  is  your  letter  to-night? 

Dally  Tory. 

It  was  like  a  cupful  of  cold  water,  souse !  in  Richard's 
face ;  it  brought  him  back  to  earth.  In  his  successful 
bright  estate  of  love  he  had  forgotten  about  that  letter. 
There  was  no  help  for  it ;  Richard  got  pen  and  blank, 
and  wired : 

Dally  Tory, 

New  York  City. 
Mr.  Storms  is  ill ;  no  letter  to-night. 

L.   GWYNN. 

When  this  was  thirty  minutes  on  its  way,  Richard 
had  a  further  lucid  interval.  With  the  power  of  proph 
ecy  upon  him,  he  dispatched  the  following : 


188  THE  PRESIDENT 

Daily  Tory, 

New  York  City. 
Mr.  Storms  will  be  ill  a  week. 

L.   GWYNN. 

It  gave  Richard  a  pang  to  put  aside  those  engaging 
letters,  even  for  a  week.  Under  the  circumstances, 
however,  and  with  a  promise  to  see  Dorothy  the  next 
day  at  four,  and  a  purpose  to  see  her  every  day  at  four 
if  she  permitted  him,  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  send  the 
second  message.  Besides,  should  his  reason  return 
before  the  week's  end,  he  could  recover  from  that  illness 
and  take  up  the  letters  again. 

Being  something  sobered  now,  Richard  lighted  a 
cigar  and  strolled  off  through  a  fall  of  snow  that  had 
set  in,  thinking  on  Dorothy.  Arriving  at  his  home, 
he  sat  an  hour  in  rose-colored  reveries.  He  dived  at 
last  into  the  bronze  casket,  and  brought  out  the  little 
boot-heel  which  was  the  beginning  of  all  First  Causes. 

"  If  I  could  but  find  the  cheating  bungler,"  thought 
Richard,  "  who  slighted  that  little  shoe  in  making,  I'd 
pile  fortune  upon  him  for  the  balance  of  his  life.  And 
to  think  I  owe  my  Dorothy  to  the  cobbling  scoun 
drel!" 

At  three  o'clock,  with  the  soft  fingers  of  the  snow 
drumming  drowsily  against  the  pane,  Richard  went  to 
sleep  and  dreamed  of  angels,  all  of  whom  were  blue- 
eyed  replicas  of  Dorothy. 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     189 

Richard,  still  in  a  glorified  trance,  was  up  betimes. 
Mr.  Pickwick,  who  came  to  fawn  upon  him,  the  same 
being  his  doggish  custom  of  a  morning,  found  Richard 
tolerant  but  abstracted.  Hurt  by  a  lack  of  notice, 
Mr.  Pickwick  retired,  and  Matzai  brought  in  breakfast. 
Richard  could  not  avoid  a  feeling  of  distrustful  con 
tempt  for  himself  when  he  discovered  that  he  ate  like  a 
hod-carrier.  It  seemed  treason  to  Dorothy  to  harbor 
so  rude  an  appetite. 

While  Richard  had  laid  aside  those  Daily  Tory  letters 
for  a  week,  he  would  still  call  on  Senator  Hanway  at 
eleven.  He  considered  what  an  exquisite  thrill  would 
go  over  him  as  he  sat  gazing  on  Dorothy — that  new 
and  beautiful  possession  of  his  heart ! 

Rather  to  Richard's  dismay,  Dorothy  was  not  with 
them  that  morning  in  Senator  Hanway's  study.  Had 
her  love  of  politics  gone  cooling?  Senator  Hanway 
was  there,  however,  and  uppermost  in  his  mind  was 
something  that  would  again  require  countenance  of  the 
Anaconda  Airline. 

It  was  the  subtile  policy  of  Senator  Hanway,  in  his 
move  towards  a  Presidency,  to  seem  to  be  standing  still. 
His  attitude  was  feminine ;  the  nomination  must  abduct 
him;  he  must  be  dragged  to  the  altar  and  wedded  into 
the  White  House  by  force.  In  short,  Senator  Hanway 
was  for  giving  the  country  a  noble  exhibition  of  the 
office  seeking  the  man. 


190  THE  PRESIDENT 

This  attitude  of  holding  delicately  aloof  did  not  pre 
vent  him  in  the  privacy  of  his  study — out  of  which  no 
secrets  escaped — from  unbuckling  confidentially  with 
ones  who,  like  Richard,  were  close  about  his  counsel 
board.  It  was  not  that  he  required  that  young  jour 
nalist's  advice ;  but  he  needed  his  help,  and  so  gave  him 
his  confidence  because  he  couldn't  avoid  it. 

Richard  wore  the  honors  of  these  confidences  easily. 
Scores  of  times,  Senator  Hanway  had  gone  into  the 
detail  of  his  arrangements  to  trap  delegates,  wherefore 
it  bred  no  surprise  in  him  when,  upon  this  morning,  that 
statesman  took  up  the  question  of  an  Anaconda  influ 
ence,  and  the  extent  to  which  it  might  be  exercised. 
Senator  Hanway  showed  Richard  a  list  of  fourteen 
States,  all  subject  to  the  Anaconda's  system  of  roads. 

"  In  my  opinion,"  said  Senator  Hanway,  "  the  Ana 
conda  could  select  the  national  delegations  in  these 
States.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  fourteen,  acting 
together,- — for  the  list  includes  three  of  the  largest 
States  in  the  country, — would  decide  the  nomination. 
The  query  is,  Would  Mr.  Gwynn  be  so  amiably  dis 
posed  as  to  move  in  the  affair?  I  ma}^  say  that  I 
should  not  prove  insensible  to  so  great  a  favor." 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,"  returned  Richard,  "  has  repeatedly 
instructed  me  that  you  were  to  regard  the  Anaconda  as 
yours,  and  the  Daily  Tory  as  yours,  for  everything 
that  either  or  both  of  them  can  do  in  your  interest.  It 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     191 

will  not  be  necessary  to  see  him  unless  you  prefer  an 
interview." 

Senator  Hanway  never  preferred  an  interview  with 
anybody,  where  that  formality  was  not  demanded  by 
the  situation.  He  held  to  the  doctrine  that  no  one, 
not  a  fool,  would  talk  beyond  what  was  necessary  to 
carry  his  projects  to  success.  His  present  word  to 
Richard,  however,  did  not  include  this  belief.  He  put 
it  in  this  fashion : 

"  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty,"  said  he,  "  to  disturb  Mr. 
Gwynn  with  what  are  no  more  than  just  my  personal 
concerns.  He  has  much  more  weighty  matters  of  his 
own  to  consider;  and  he  ought  not  to  be  loaded  down 
with  those  .of  other  men.  Besides,  in  this  instance,  his 
magnificent  generosity  has  anticipated  me.  He  tells 
you  that  I  am  to  have  the  assistance  of  the  Anaconda  ?  " 

"  In  what  form  and  to  what  extent  you  choose,"  re 
turned  Richard.  "  He  even  said  that,  should  you  be 
set  to  head  your  party's  ticket,  the  campaign  might 
count  upon  the  Anaconda  for  a  contribution  of  no  less 
than  a  half -million." 

Senator  Hanway's  pale  face  flushed,  not  with  grati 
tude,  but  exultation. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,"  said  he,  "  which  affects  me 
most;  Mr.  Gwynn's  immense  kindness  or  his  even 
greater  condescension." 

Then  getting  to  things  practical,  Senator  Hanway 


192  THE  PRESIDENT 

asked  Richard  if  the  Preside'nt  and  General  Attorney 
of  the  Anaconda  might  not  again  be  brought  to  Wash 
ington. 

"  They  shall  come,"  replied  Richard  confidently. 
"  You  have  only  to  fix  the  date." 

"  Any  time  between  the  second  and  tenth  of  Jan 
uary,"  suggested  Senator  Hanway.  And  that  was 
settled. 

Richard,  not  so  much  because  of  an  interest,— if 
truth  were  told  his  thoughts  went  running  away  to 
Dorothy,  and  must  be  continually  yanked  back  by  the 
ear  to  topics  common  and  earthly, — but  for  the  sake 
of  something  to  say,  asked  Senator  Hanway  about  the 
committee  of  three  selected  to  investigate  Northern 
Consolidated. 

"  You  know,  the  business  came  up  because  of  my 
letters  in  the  Daily  Tory"  observed  Richard,  by  way 
of  excuse  for  his  curiosity. 

The  investigation  was  progressing  slowly.  It  was 
secret ;  no  part  of  the  evidence  could  be  given  out.  It 
would  not  join  with  senatorial  propriety  to  let  any 
thing  be  known  for  publication. 

"  In  a  semi- judicial  inquiry  of  this  sort,"  explained 
Senator  Hanway,  in  tones  of  patronizing  dignity, 
"  one  of  your  discernment  will  recognize  the  impro 
priety,  as  well  as  the  absolute  injustice,  of  foreshadow 
ing  in  any  degree  the  finding  of  the  committee.  For 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE      19S 

yourself,  however,  I  don't  mind  saying  that 'the  evidence, 
so  far,  is  all  in  favor  of  Northern  Consolidated.  The 
company  will  emerge  with  a  clean  bill  of  health — clean 
as  a  whistle !  The  committee's  finding,"  concluded  Sen 
ator  Hanway  musingly,  "  will  be  like  a  new  coat  of 
paint  to  the  road.  It  should  help  it  immensely — help 
the  stock ;  for  these  charges  have  hung  over  Northern 
Consolidated  values  like  a  shadow." 

"  And  when  should  the  committee  report  ?  "  queried 
Richard. 

"  Those  things  come  along  very  leisurely ;  the  report 
ought  to  be  public,  I  should  think,  about  the  middle  of 
February.  We  may  give  it  to  the  road  for  a  valen 
tine,"  and  Senator  Hanway  smiled  in  congratulation 
of  himself  for  something  light  and  fluffy,  something 
to  mark  in  him  a  pliancy  of  sentiment. 

Senator  Hanway — such  is  the  weakness  of  the  really 
great — had  his  vanity  as  well  as  Richard,  and  would 
have  been  pleased  had  folk  thought  him  of  a  fancy 
that,  on  occasion,  could  break  away  from  those  more 
sodden  commodities  of  politics  and  law-building.  Caesar 
and  Napoleon  were  both  unhappy  until  they  had  written 
books,  and  Alexander  cared  more  for  Aristotle's  good 
opinion  than  for  conquest. 

Just  when  Richard,  who  had  been  expecting  with 
every  moment  his  Dorothy  to  come  rustling  in, 
was  beginning  to  despair,  Dorothy's  black  maid  ap- 


194  THE  PRESIDENT 

peared,  and,  under  pretense  of  asking  Senator  Hanway 
on  behalf  of  his  devoted  niece  whether  or  no  said  niece 
might  count  on  his  escort  to  the  White  House  reception 
New  Year's  Day,  craftily  slipped  Richard  a  note. 

"  Why,  she  knows  she  may !  " 

Senator  Hanway  was  somewhat  astonished  at  Doro 
thy's  forethoughtf  ulness ;  the  more  since  the  reception 
was  a  week  and  more  away. 

"  Miss  Dory  wants  to  have  Miss  Bess,  from  'cross  d* 
street,  go  'long,"  vouchsafed  the  maid. 

"  Oh,  that's  it !  "  said  Senator  Hanwa}^,  who  mistook 
this  for  an  explanation. 

Richard  was  on  nettles  to  get  at  Dorothy's  note. 
Anxiety  sharpened  his  faculties,  and  he  took  from  his 
pocket  a  clipping,  being  indeed  a  Daily  Tory  editorial 
wherein  was  set  forth  what  should  be  a  proper  tariff 
policy,  and  gravely  besought  Senator  Hanway  for  his 
views  thereon.  While  that  statesman  was  donning 
glasses  and  running  over  the  excerpt,  Richard  made 
furtive  shift  to  read  his  note  from  Dorothy.  It  said: 

DEAR: 

I  am  with  Bess.  Something  awful  has  happened. 
Don't  wait  a  moment,  but  come.  D. 

Senator  Hanway  was  not  a  little  amazed  when,  just 
as  he  found  himself  midstream  in  those  tariff  studies 
to  which  Richard  had  invited  him,  that  volatile  indi- 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     195 

vidual  arose  in  the  utmost  excitement  and  said  that  he 
must  go. 

"  The  truth  is,"  said  Richard,  blundering  about  for 
the  explanation  which  the  questioning  eye  of  Senator 
Hanway  appeared  to  ask,  "  I  forgot  a  matter  of  Mr. 
Gwynn's." 

Senator  Hanway  waved  his  satisfied  hand  in  a  man 
ner  that  meant  "  Say  no  more !  "  Senator  Hanway 
did  not  doubt  that  the  business  was  important.  Any 
business  of  Mr.  Gwynn's  must  be  important.  The 
sheer  fact  that  it  was  Mr.  Gwynn's  business  made  it 
important.  It  bordered  dangerously  upon  the  criminal 
that  Richard  should  have  neglected  it.  The  state  of 
affairs  described  accounted  most  satisfactorily  for 
Richard's  breathless  haste.  Senator  Hanway,  when  he 
recalled  the  assurance  of  Mr.  Harley,  made  with  bated 
breath  but  the  evening  before,  that  Mr.  Gwynn's  income 
was  over  twelve  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  month, 
sympathized  with  Richard's  zeal.  Under  similar  cir 
cumstances,  Senator  Hanway's  excitement  would  have 
mounted  as  high.  It  is  such  a  privilege  to  serve  the 
very  rich! 

Richard  found  Dorothy  in  that  apartment  which  was 
but  yesterday  the  theater  of  his  great  happiness.  She 
was  alone ;  for  Bess  must  play  the  housewife,  and  was  at 
that  moment  addressing  a  slattern  maid  upon  the  sin 
of  dust  in  some  far-off,  lofty  corridor  of  the  premises. 


196  THE  PRESIDENT 

Richard  swept  Dorothy  with  a  gray  glance  like  a  flash 
light.  Her  face  was  troubled,  but  full  of  fortitude, 
and  she  was  very  white  about  the  mouth.  At  sight  of 
Richard,  however,  Dorothy's  fortitude  gave  way,  and 
went  whirling  downstream  in  a  tempest  of  tears  and 
sobs.  With  her  poor  hands  outstretched  as  if  for  pro 
tection,  she  felt  her  way  blindly  into  the  shelter  of  those 
arms;  and  Richard  drew  her  close  and  closer,  holding 
her  to  his  heart  as  though  she  were  a  child.  He  asked 
no  question,  said  no  word,  sure  only  as  granite  that, 
whatever  the  trouble,  it  should  not  take  her  from  him. 
These  rock-founded  natures,  self-reliant,  world-defying, 
made  all  of  love  and  iron,  are  a  mighty  comfort  to 
weak  ones ;  and  so  thought  Dorothy  as  she  lay  crying 
in  Richard's  embrace. 

And  now,  since  you  have  seen  Dorothy  safe  across 
the  harbor-bar  of  her  griefs,  and  she  lies  landlocked  in 
the  sure  haven  of  the  Pict  arms,  you  might  cross  the 
way  for  a  space,  and  learn  what  abode  a-  the  foot  of 
all  this  disturbance  of  true  lovers. 

It  was  while  Richard  was  closeted  with  Senator  Han- 
way  that  the  storm  broke.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley, 
after  reflection,  had  decided  to  speak  to  her  daughter 
upon  the  subject  of  Storri  and  that  noble  Russian's 
suit.  To  this  end,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  called  Doro 
thy  into  a  little  parlor  which  opened  off  her  bedcham 
ber.  It  was  that  particular  apartment  where  Mrs. 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     197 

Hanway-Harley  took  her  naps,  and  afterward  donned 
war-paint  and  feathers  wherewith  to  burst  upon 
society. 

Dorothy  came  reluctantly,  haunted  with  a  forebode 
of  impending  griefs.  The  room  was  a  fashion  of  tor 
ture  chamber  to  Dorothy.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had 
summoned  her  to  this  room  for  admonition  and  reproach 
and  punishment  since  ever  she  was  ten  years  of  age. 
Wherefore,  there  was  little  in  her  mother's  call  to  engage 
Dorothy  pleasantly ;  and  she  hung  back,  and  answered 
slowly,  with  soles  of  lead. 

When  Dorothy  at  last  came  in,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
lost  no  time  in  skirmishing,  but  at  once  opened  the  main 
battle. 

"  My  child,"  said  she,  with  a  look  that  she  meant 
should  be  ineffably  affectionate,  and  which  was  not, 
"  Count  Storri  has  been  talking  of  you." 

"  Yes  ?  "  queried  Dorothy,  with  sinking  heart,  but 
making  a  gallant  effort  at  childish  innocence. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  lost  patience.  She  observed 
and  resented  the  childish  innocence,  rebuking  it  smartly. 

"  Rub  that  baby  look  out  of  your  face,  instantly ! 
You  are  not  a  child !  " 

Dorothy  stiffened  like  a  grenadier.  She  remembered 
Richard ;  her  mother  was  right ;  she  was  not  a  child,  she 
was  a  woman,  and  so  the  world  should  find  her.  Doro 
thy's  eyes  began  to  gleam  dangerously,  and  if  Mrs. 


198  THE  PRESIDENT 

Hanway-Harley  had  owned  any  gift  to  read  faces,  she 
might  have  hesitated  at  this  pinch. 

"What  would  you  have?"  said  Dorothy,  and  her 
tones  were  as  brittle  and  as  devoid  of  sentimental  soft 
ness  as  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 's. 

"  Marriage." 

"  Marriage  with  Storri?  " 

"  Dorothy,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  with  a  sigh, 
softly  returning  to  the  lines  she  had  originally  laid 
out,  "  Count  Storri,  in  the  most  delicate  way,  like  the 
gentleman  and  nobleman  he  is,  has  asked  for  your 
hand." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  read  something  like  this 
in  a  magazine,  and  now  reeled  it  off  with  tender 
majesty.  When  she  spoke  of  Storri  she  had  quite  the 
empress  air. 

"  For  my  hand !  "  said  Dorothy,  beginning  to  pant. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  looked  up ;  there  was  a  hardness 
in  Dorothy's  tone  that  was  not  only  new,  but  unpleas 
ant.  Down  deep  in  her  nature,  Dorothy  hid  those 
stubborn  traits  that  distinguished  her  religious  ances 
tor  of  the  gate-post  and  the  water-pan. 

"  For  your  hand,"  repeated  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
uneasily. 

Dorothy  making  no  return,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley, 
after  waiting  a  moment,  gave  herself  to  a  recount  of 
those  glowing  advantages  promised  by  such  a  mar- 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE     199 

riage.  Was  a  nobleman,  wealthy,  young,  handsome, 
on  terms  of  comradeship  with  his  Czar,  to  be  refused? 
Half  the  women  in  Washington  were  wild  for  such  an 
offer.  It  would  place  the  Harleys  on  a  footing  by 
themselves. 

"  But  I  don't  love  him !  "  urged  Dorothy,  as  though 
that  had  to  do  with  the  question. 

At  this  foolishly  unfortunate  objection,  Mrs.  Han- 
way-Harley  was  rendered  speechless.  Then,  as  notice 
of  Dorothy's  white,  cold  obstinacy  began  to  dawn  upon 
her,  she  went  suddenly  into  lamentations.  To  think 
her  child,  her  only  child,  should  deal  her  such  a  blow! 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  called  herself  the  most  ill-treated 
of  parents.  She  said  her  best  and  dearest  feelings  had 
been  trampled  upon.  In  a  shower  of  tears,  and  a  cat 
aract  of  complaint,  she  bemoaned  her  dark,  ungrateful 
destiny.  At  this,  Dorothy's  tears  began  to  flow,  and 
the  interview  became  hysterical. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  the  earlier  to  recover  her 
balance.  Drying  her  eyes,  she  said: 

"  Disobedient  child!  " — this  was  also  from  the  maga 
zine — "  since  you  will  not  listen  to  the  voice  of  love, 
since  you  will  not  listen  to  the  voice  of  reason,  you 
shall  listen  to  the  voice  of  command." 

Then,  striking  a  pose  that  was  almost  tragic,  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  told  Dorothy  she  must  marry  Storri. 

"  As    your  mother,    I    command    it ! "    said    Mrs. 


200  THE  PRESIDENT 

Hanway-Harley,  lifting  her  jeweled  hand  finely,  as 
though  the  thing  were  settled  and  the  conference  at 
an  end. 

"  And  I  tell  you,"  said  Dorothy,  catching  her  breath 
and  speaking  with  bitter  slowness,  "  that  I  shall  not 
marry  him !  " 

"  This  to  me ! — your  mother ! — in  my  own  house !  " 

"  You  shall  not  drive  me !  "  cried  Dorothy  passion 
ately,  her  eyes  roving  savagely,  like  the  eyes  of  a 
badgered  animal.  "  Am  I  to  have  no  voice  in  disposal 
of  myself?  I  tell  you  I  shall  marry  whom  I  please! 
And  since  he  makes  his  proffer  through  you,  tell  the 
creature  Storri  that  I  loathe  him !  " 

"  Have  a  care,  child !  " 

This  last  was  also  from  the  magazine,  and  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  got  it  off  superbly.  It  missed  fire,  so 
far  as  Dorothy  was  concerned — Dorothy,  strung  like  a 
bow,  and  now  in  full  rebellion. 

"  It  is  you  to  have  a  care ! "  retorted  Dorothy. 
"  Papa  and  Uncle  Pat  shall  hear  of  this !  " 

"  They  will  say  as  I  say !  "  observed  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley,  who  believed  it. 

"  And  if  they  should,"  cried  Dorothy,  "  I  have  still 
a  resource !  " 

"Flight?"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  not  without 
contempt. 

"  Marriage !  "  replied  Dorothy,  now  as  dry  of  eye 


STORRI  OFFERS  HIS  LOVE  201 

as  she  was  defiant.  Bess  Marklin  was  assuredly  right  in 
her  estimate  of  formalities,  and  their  saving  and  secur 
ing  worth. 

"  Marriage !  "  repeated  Dorothy,  and  her  voice  rang 
out  in  a  composite  note  of  love  and  triumph  as  she 
thought  of  Richard. 

"  Marriage !  "  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  stag 
gered.  Here  was  a  pathway  of  escape  she  had  not 
counted  on.  "Whom  would  you  marry?" 

"  You  shall  not  know,"  said  Dorothy. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  saw  truth  in  Dorothy's  red 
cheek — she  had  been  snow  till  now — saw  it  in  her  swim 
ming  eye  and  heaving  bosom.  Before  she  could  phrase 
further  question  Dorothy  had  left  the  room,  and  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  was  beaten. 

Somewhere  in  the  unknown  dark  behind  Dorothy's 
stubborn  will  stood  a  man;  and  that  man  loved  Doro 
thy.  She  would  draw  on  his  love  and  his  loyalty  and 
his  courage  to  make  her  war!  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
felt  her  defeat,  and  sighed  to  think  how  she  had  walked 
upon  it  blindfold.  But  she  was  not  without  military 
fairness ;  she  must  make  her  report. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  wrote  Storri  a  note,  saying 
that,  for  reasons  not  to  be  overcome,  the  honor  of  his 
hand  must  be  denied  her  house.  While  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  was  writing  Storri,  Dorothy  the  baited  was 
writing  her  note  to  Richard.  And  now  you  know  why 


THE  PRESIDENT 

Dorothy  sobbed  her  troubled,  hunted,  harassed  way 
into  Richard's  arms. 

After  ten  minutes  of  love  and  peace,  Dorothy  was  so 
much  renewed  that,  word  for  word,  she  gave  Richard  the 
entire  story. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  said  Dorothy  at  the  close. 
"  Tell  me,  dear,  what  am  I  to  do  ?  " 

"  You  are  in  no  danger,"  said  Richard,  in  a  manner 
of  grim  tenderness,  and  folding  her  tight.  "  Before 
I'd  see  you  marry  Storri,  I  would  kill  him  in  the  church 
—kill  him  at  the  altar  rail !  " 

"  You  must  not  kill  him !  "  whispered  Dorothy,  at 
once  horrified  and  flattered. 

"  There's  no  chance,"  said  Richard,  with  a  quaver 
of  comic  regret.  "  Our  civilization  has  so  narrowed 
the  times  that  murder  is  inexpressibly  inconvenient. 
One  thing  I  might  do,  however." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  I  might  carry  you  off." 

"  Oh,  that  would  never  do ! "  said  Dorothy,  as,  with 
a  great  sigh,  she  crept  more  and  more  into  Richard's 
arms,  thinking  all  the  time  it  would  do,  and  do  nicely. 


CHAPTER  X 

HOW  STORRI  PLOTTED  A  VENGEANCE 

R CHARD  asked  Dorothy  if  she  had  told  Bess. 
No,  Dorothy  had  not  told  Bess. 
"  Do  you   think,  dear  heart,   I  would  tell 
anyone  before  I  had  told  you?" 

As  the  most  fitting  reply  to  this  question,  Richard 
kissed  Dorothy  all  over  again  as  though  for  the  first 
time,  and  with  a  fervor  that  told  how  his  soul  was  in 
the  work. 

Bess  was  called  in  as  a  consulting  engineer  of 
hearts.  That  blonde  tactician  glanced  over  the  situa 
tion  with  the  eye  of  a  field-marshal.  This  was  the 
result  of  her  survey.  There  must  be  no  clandestine 
marriage,  no  elopement.  Dorothy  was  in  no  peril;  it 
was  not  a  drawbridge  day  of  moated  castlewicks  and 
donjon  keeps.  Damsels  were  no  longer  gagged  and 
bound  and  carried  to  the  altar,  and  there  wedded  perforce 
to  dreadful  ogres.  Wherefore,  a  runaway  match  was  not 
necessary.  Moreover,  it  would  be  vulgar ;  and  nothing 
could  justify  vulgarity.  Dorothy  and  Richard  should 
remain  as  they  were.  They  must  continue  to  love; 

203 


204  THE  PRESIDENT 

they  must  learn  to  wait,  and  to  take  what  advantage 
the  flow  of  events  provided. 

"  My  wisdom,"  quoth  Bess,  pausing  as  if  for  con 
gratulations,  "  my  wisdom  is,  doubtless,  so  much  beyond 
my  years  as  to  seem  unearthly.  It's  due  to  the  fact 
that,  although  young,  I've  been  for  long  the  respon 
sible  head  of  a  family." 

Bess  mentioned  this  latter  dignified  condition  with 
complacency.  It  left  her  exempt  from  those  troubles, 
like  a  bramble  patch,  into  which  Dorothy  was  plunged. 

Both  Dorothy  and  Richard  were  inclined  to  agree 
with  their  monitress.  Richard  was  too  wholly  of  the 
battle-ax  breed  to  favor  stealth  and  creeping  about. 
It  was  in  his  heart  to  marry  Dorothy  defiantly,  and  at 
noon.  Dorothy's  reasons  were  less  robust;  she  was 
thinking  on  her  father  and  "  Uncle  Pat,"  and  all  their 
kindnesses.  She  could  not  make  up  her  loyal  heart  to 
any  step  that  smacked  of  treachery  to  them. 

"  And  yet,"  observed  Richard,  "  here  we  are  where 
we  started."  Then  turning  to  Bess :  "  You  have  told 
us  what  we  should  not  do,  and  told  us  extremely  well. 
Now  bend  your  sage  brows  to  the  question  of  what  we 
ought  to  do.  Or,  to  phrase  it  this  fashion,  What  ought 
I  to  do?" 

"  Go  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  ask  for  her 
daughter." 

Richard  winced  and  made  a  wry  face. 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    205 

"  I'd  sooner  go  to  Storri.  The  rascal  might  give  me 
a  reason  for  thrashing  him." 

"  You  are  on  no  account  to  mention  Dorothy's  name 
to  Storri." 

"  No?  "  somewhat  ruefully. 

"  And  you  are  to  beat  him  only  should  he  mention 
Dorothy's  name  to  you." 

"  I  shall ;  "  and  Richard  brightened. 

"  Storri  asked  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  for  her  daugh 
ter.  I  should  think  you  might  summon  up  an  equal 
courage." 

"  But  I  haven't  the  advantage  of  being  a  Russian 
nobleman,"  returned  Richard,  with  one  of  his  cynical 
grins. 

"  Still  you  must  ask  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  for  Doro 
thy  ;  and  no  later,  mind  you,  than  to-morrow  night." 
Bess  tossed  her  head  as  though  a  fiat  had  gone  forth. 

"  Well,"  said  Richard,  drawing  a  deep  breath,  "  if 
you  have  any  such  junk  as  a  Joss  about  the  house, 
I'd  take  it  friendly  if  you  would  burn  a,  handful  of 
prayer-sticks  in  my  interest."  Then,  with  all  love's 
softness,  to  Dorothy :  "  Your  mother  will  say  No ;  she 
will  not  entertain  your  views  on  poverty,  little  one." 

Dorothy  came  behind  Richard's  chair  and  pressed  her 
cheek  to  his. 

"  Whatever  she  may  say,  whatever  anyone  may  say, 
you,  and  only  you,  dearest,  shall  have  me,"  and  Dora- 


206  THE  PRESIDENT 

thy  signed  the  promise  after  the  fashion  popular  with 
loyers. 

Storri  came  that  evening  to  see  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 
Both  parties  were  acting,  Storri  affecting  melancholy 
while  he  was  on  fire  with  passionate  rage,  and  Mrs. 
Hanwajr-Harley  assuming  the  role  of  the  mother  who, 
although  she  regrets,  is  still  tenderly  unwilling  to  con 
trol  those  wrongly  headstrong  courses  upon  which  her 
child  is  bent.  There  was  a  world  of  polite  fencing 
between  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  Storri,  in  which  each 
bore  testimony  to  the  esteem  in  which  the  other  was 
held.  It  was  decided  that  Storri  should  continue  those 
dinners  with  the  Harleys  ;  Dorothy  might  discover  a  final 
wisdom. 

Storri  told  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  that  he  feared 
Dorothy  had  given  her  heart  to  Richard.  This  ad 
mission  was  gall  and  wormwood  to  the  self-love  of 
Storri.  He  made  it,  however,  and  recalled  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley  to  Dorothy's  chatter  concerning  the  morn 
ing  talks  between  Richard  and  Senator  Hanwa}^ 

"  That  odious  printer,"  said  Storri,  who  called  all 
newspaper  people  printers,  "  comes  each  day  to  get  his 
budget  of  news  from  your  illustrious  brother,  madam; 
and,  believe  me,  your  daughter  makes  some  sly  pretext 
for  being  with  them — with  him,  the  odious  printer! 
Bah !  I  wish  we  were  in  Russia ;  I  would  blow  out  the 
rogue's  life  like  a  candle !  Why,  my  Czar  would  laugh 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    207 

were  so  mean  a  being  to  succeed  in  obstructing  the  love 
of  his  Storri!" 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  struck  by  the  suggestion 
that  Richard  was  Dorothy's  lover  in  the  dark.  She 
remembered  Dorothy's  teasing  praises  of  Richard,  and 
her  talk  of  how  sapiently  he  discoursed  with  "  Uncle 
Pat."  The  praises  occurred  on  that  evening  when, 
from  her  wisdom,  she,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  had 
warned  her  innocent  child  against  the  error  of  enter 
taining  one  gentlemen  with  the  merits  of  another.  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  even  brought  to  mind  the  replies  made 
by  her  innocent  child  to  those  warnings ;  and  her  own 
wrath  began  to  stir  as  the  suspicion  grew  that  her  inno 
cent  child  had  been  secretly  laughing  at  her.  Like  all 
shallow  folk,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  prided  herself  upon 
being  as  deep  as  the  sea,  and  it  did  her  self-esteem  no 
good  to  think  that  she  had  been  sounded,  not  to  say 
charted,  by  her  own  daughter,  who  had  gone  steering  in 
and  out,  keeping  always  the  channel  of  her  credulity, 
and  never  once  running  aground.  Little  lamps  of  anger 
lighted  their  evil  wicks  in  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  eyes 
as  she  thus  reflected. 

And  that  morning  armful  of  roses?  No,  Storri  was 
not  the  moving  cause  of  their  fragrant  appearance 
upon  the  Harley  premises.  Storri  regretted  that  he 
had  not  once  bethought  him  of  this  delicate  attention. 
Mrs,  Hanway-Harley  wrung  her  hands.  It  was  Doro- 


208  THE  PRESIDENT 

thy  who  first  planted  in  her  the  belief  that  the  flowers 
were  from  Storri.  Oh,  the  artful  jade!  That  was  the 
cause  of  her  timorous  objections  when  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley,  with  the  fond  yet  honorable  curiosity  of  a 
mother,  spoke  of  mentioning  those  flowers  to  Storri. 
The  perjured  Dorothy  was  aware  of  their  felon  origin; 
doubtless,  she  even  then  encouraged  the  miserable  Rich 
ard  in  his  love. 

As  these  lights  burst  one  after  the  other  upon  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley,  she  could  have  punished  her  own  dull 
ness  by  beating  her  head  against  the  wall.  However, 
she  restrained  herself,  and  closed  by  inviting  Storri  to 
dinner  on  the  next  day  but  one.  Storri,  still  keeping 
up  his  tender  melancholy,  thanked  Mrs.  Hanway-Har 
ley,  accepted,  and  with  many  bows,  and  many  sighs  to 
impress  upon  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  his  stricken  heart, 
backed  himself  out  into  the  night. 

When  Storri  was  gone,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  resolved 
on  an  instant  talk  with  Dorothy — no  more  the  inno 
cent,  but  the  artful  one.  She  would  make  a  last  at 
tempt  to  wring  from  her  the  name  of  that  lover  of  the 
shadows.  Should  it  be  Richard — and  she  was  sure  of 
it — that  aspiring  journalist  must  never  again  cross  the 
Harley  threshold. 

.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  who  had  the  merit  of  expedi 
tion,  repaired  at  once  to  Dorothy's  room.  That  ob 
durate  beauty  was  half  undressed,  and  her  maid  had 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    209 

just  finished  arranging  her  hair  in  two  raven  braids — 
thick  as  a  ship's  cable,  they  were.  As  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  entered,  Dorothy  glanced  up  with  half-wistful 
eye.  Poor  child!  she  was  hoping  her  mother  might 
have  softened  from  that  granite  attitude  of  the  morn 
ing  !  But  no,  there  was  nothing  tender  in  the  selfish, 
austere  gaze ;  at  that,  the  spirit  of  the  old  astronomical 
ancestor  who,  with  his  water-pans  and  gate-posts,  knew 
the  earth  was  flat,  began  to  chafe  within  Dorothy's 
girlish  bosom. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  came  to  a  dignified  halt  in  the 
middle  of  the  room. 

"  Cora,  you  may  go,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

The  black  maid  gave  a  parting  touch  to  the  braids, 
in  which  she  contrived  to  mingle  sympathy  and  affec 
tion,  for  with  the  wisdom  of  her  caste  she  knew  of  Doro 
thy's  love  and  gave  it  her  approval. 

"  Dorothy,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  when  they 
were  alone,  and  speaking  in  a  high,  superior  vein,  "  I 
have  come  for  the  name  of  that  man." 

"  Mr.  Storms,"  returned  Dorothy,  in  tones  which  for 
steadiness  matched  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's. 

It    was    not    the    name    so    much    as    the    relentless 
frankness  that  furnished  it,  which  overcame  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley.      She  sat  down  with  an  emphasis  so  sudden- 
that  it  was  as  though  her  knees  were  glass  and  the  blow 
had  broken  them.     Once  in  the  chair,  she  waggled  her 


210  THE  PRESIDENT 

head  dolorously,  and  moaned  out  against  upstart  vul 
garians  who,  without  a  name  or  a  shilling,  insinuated 
themselves  like  vipers  into  households  of  honor,  and, 
coiling  themselves  upon  the  very  hearthstones,  dealt 
death  to  fondest  hopes. 

Dorothy,  who,  for  all  the  selfish  shallowness  of  that 
relative,  loved  her  mother,  tried  to  take  her  hand.  At 
a  shadow  of  sympathy  she  would  have  laid  before  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  the  last  secret  her  bosom  hid.  There 
was  no  sympathy,  nothing  of  mother's  love ;  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley,  in  the  narrowness  of  her  egotism,  could 
consider  no  feelings  not  her  own. 

"  Don't ;  don't  touch  me  !  "  she  cried.  "  Don't  add 
hypocrisy  to  your  ingratitude !  "  Then,  in  tones  that 
seemed  to  pillory  Dorothy  as  reprobate  and  lost,  she 
cried :  "  You  have  disgraced  me — disgraced  your 
father,  your  uncle,  and  me !  " 

"  Another  word,"  cried  Dorothy,  moving  with  a  re 
sentful  swoop  towards  the  bell,  "  and  I'll  call  Uncle  Pat 
to  judge  between  us!  Yes;  he  is  in  his  study.  Uncle 
Pat  shall  hear  you !  " 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  glass  knees  and  all,  got  be 
tween  Dorothy  and  the  bell.  Dorothy's  uncle  and 
Dorothy's  father  should  know ;  but  not  then.  She  had 
.hoped  that  with  reason  she  might  rescue  her  daughter 
from  a  step  so  fatal  as  marriage  with  a  hopeless  beggar 
who  could  not  live  without  the  charity  of  his  patron. 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE 

These  things  and  much  more  spake  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley;  but  she  might  as  well  have  remonstrated  with 
a  storm.  The  gate-post  grandsire  had  charge  of 
Dorothy. 

"  And  what  is  to  be  the  end  of  this  intrigue  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  It  is  no  more  an  intrigue,"  protested  Dorothy,  her 
eyes  flashing,  "  than  was  your  marriage  to  papa,  or  the 
marriage  of  Aunt  Dorothy  with  Uncle  Pat.  Oh, 
mamma,"  she  cried  appealingly,  "  can't  you  see  we  love 
each  other ! " 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  a  trifle  touched,  but  it  was 
her  maternal  duty  to  conceal  it.  She  steadied  herself 
to  a  severe  sobrietjr,  and,  with  the  manner  of  one  in 
jured  to  the  verge  of  martyrdom,  said  with  a  sigh: 

"  I  shall  see  this  person ;  I  shall  send  for  this  Mr, 
Storms." 

"  It  will  be  unnecessary,"  replied  Dorothy,  turning 
frigid ;  "  Mr.  Storms  will  call  upon  you  to-morrow 
night." 

"  And  does  the  puppy  think  that  I'll  give  my  con 
sent?  "  demanded  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  angrily  aghast 
at  the  insolence  of  Richard. 

"  Now  I  don't  know  what  the  6  puppy  '  thinks,"  re 
turned  Dorothy,  from  whom  the  anger  of  her  mother 
struck  sympathetic  sparks,  "  but  I  told  him  I  would 
marry  him  without  it." 


THE  PRESIDENT 

In  a  whirl  of  indignation,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
burst  in  upon  Senator  Hanway.  That  ambitious  gen 
tleman  was  employed  in  abstruse  calculations  as  to 
tariff  schedules,  and  how  far  they  might  be  expected  to 
bear  upon  his  chances  in  the  coming  National  Con 
vention.  Senator  Hanway  was  somewhat  impressed  by 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  visit ;  his  study  had  never  been 
that  lady's  favorite  lounge.  Moreover,  her  face  pro 
claimed  her  errand  no  common  one. 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  were  all  in  bed,  Barbara," 
said  Senator  Hanway,  by  way  of  opening  conversa 
tion. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  as  calmly  as  she  might,  told 
of  Dorothy's  "  mad  infatuation."  She  held  back 
nothing  except  what  portions  of  the  tangle  referred  to 
Storri.  That  nobleman's  proposals  she  did  not  touch 
on.  She  spoke  of  Richard,  and  the  disaster,  not  to 
say  the  disgrace,  to  the  Harley  name  should  he  and 
Dorothy  wed.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  flowed  on,  some 
times  eloquent,  always  severe,  and  closed  in  with  a 
thunder-gust  of  tears. 

Senator  Hanway  listened,  first  with  wonder,  then 
alarm ;  when  she  finished  he  sat  with  an  air  of  helpless 
ness.  After  rubbing  his  nose  irresolutely  with  a  pen 
holder,  he  said: 

"What  can  I  do?" 

"  You  can  advise  me," 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE 

"  Well,  then,"  observed  Senator  Hanway,  looking 
right  and  left,  being  no  one  to  face  an  angry  woman, 
"  why  don't  you  let  them  marry  ?  " 

"Brother!" 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  strove  to  bury  Senator  Han- 
way  beneath  a  mountain  of  reproach  with  that  one 
word. 

"  What  can  you  do  ?  "  asked  Senator  Hanway  de 
fensively.  "  You  say  that  Dorothy  declares  she  will 
marry  young  Storms  in  the  teeth  of  every  opposition." 

"  Are  we  to  permit  the  foolish  girl  to  throw  herself 
away? " 

"  But  how  will  you  restrain  her?  " 

"  One  thing,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  get 
ting  up  to  go ;  "  that  person,  after  to-morrow,  shall 
never  enter  these  doors !  I  shall  have  but  one  word ; 
I  shall  warn  him  not  to  repeat  his  visits  to  this  house." 

The  change  that  came  over  Senator  Hanway  struck 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  with  dumb  dismay.  His  eye, 
which  had  been  prying  about  for  an  easiest  way  out  of 
the  dilemma,  now  filled  with  threatening  interest. 

"  Barbara,  sit  down !  "  commanded  Senator  Hanway. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  sat  down;  she  was,  with  the 
last  word,  in  awe  of  her  eminent  brother.  Senator 
Hanway  arose  and  towered  above  her  with  forbidding 
brow.  The  threat  to  bar  the  Harley  doors  to  Richard 
had  set  him  agog  with  angry  apprehensions.  What! 


THE  PRESIDENT 

should  his  best  agent  of  politics,  one  who  was  at  once  the 
correspondent  of  that  powerful  influence  the  Daily 
Tory  and  the  authorized  mouthpiece  of  the  potential 
Mr.  Gwynn  who  owned  the  Anaconda,  nay,  was  the 
Anaconda,  be  insulted,  and  arrayed  against  him? 
And  for  what?  Because  of  the  baby  heart  of  a  girl 
scarce  grown !  Was  a  White  House  to  be  lost  by  such 
tawdry  argument?  Forbidding  Richard  the  door 
might  of  itself  appear  a  meager  matter,  but  who  was  to 
say  what  results  might  not  spring  from  it?  Senator 
Hanway  had  seen  the  gravest  catastrophies  grow  from 
reasons  small  as  mustard  seed!  A  city  is  burned,  and 
the  conflagration  has  its  start  in  a  cow  and  a  candle! 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  shall  not  put  his  hopes  to  jeop 
ardy  in  squabbles  over  Dorothy  and  her  truant  love. 
Senator  Hanway  felt  the  hot  anxiety  of  one  who,  bear 
ing  a  priceless  vase  through  the  streets,  is  jostled  by 
the  inconsiderate  crowd.  Domestic  politics  and  national 
politics  had  come  to  a  clash. 

Senator  Hanway  stood  staring  at  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley.  He  required  time  to  gather  control  of  him 
self  and  lay  out  a  verbal  line  of  march.  He  decided 
for  the  lucid,  icy  style;  it  was  his  favorite  manner  in 
the  Senate. 

"  Barbara,"  said  he,  "  give  careful  ear  to  what  I 
shall  say.  I  do  not  request,  I  do  not  command,  I  tell 
you  what  must  be  done.  I  do  not  interfere  between 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    215 

you  and  Dorothy;  I  interfere  only  between  you  and 
Mr.  Storms.  That  young  man  is  necessary  to  my 
plans.  He  is  to  come  to  this  study,  freely  and  without 
interference.  Nor  are  you,  on  any  occasion,  or  for  any 
cause,  to  affront  him  or  treat  him  otherwise  than  with 
respect." 

"  But,  brother,"  urged  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  "  he 
has  trapped  Dorothy  into  a  promise  of  marriage." 

"  Why  do  you  object  to  him?  " 

"  He  has  no  fortune ;  the  man's  a  beggar !  " 

"  He  has  his  money  from  the  Daily  Tory,  say  five 
thousand  a  year.  That  is  as  much  as  I  am  paid  for 
being  Senator." 

"  There  is  no  parallel !  Your  salary  may  be  five 
thousand ;  but  you  make  twenty-fold  that  sum,"  which 
was  quite  true. 

"  Barbara,"  remarked  Senator  Hanway  reprovingly, 
returning  to  the  original  bone  of  dispute,  "  why  should 
you  insist  on  this  young  man  owning  millions  before  he 
can  think  of  Dorothy?  You  had  nothing,  John  had 
nothing,  when  you  married.  You  should  remember 
these  things." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  refused  to  remember.  There 
was  no  reason  why  she  should.  Dorothy  was  the  pres 
ent  issue;  and  Dorothy  was — or  would  be — rich. 

"  I  won't  go  into  the  business  any  further,"  retorted 
Senator  Hanway  at  last,  with  a  gesture  of  irritation 


216  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  disgust.  "  I  simply  tell  you  that  Mr.  Storms  is 
neither  to  be  affronted  nor  driven  away.  Should  you 
disregard  my  wishes,  Barbara,  I  say  to  you  plainly 
that  I  myself  will  bring  the  young  people  together, 
send  for  a  preacher,  and  marry  them  in  this  very  study. 
I  am  not  to  lose  a  Presidency  because  you  choose  to 
play  the  fool." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  illustrious  in  all  her  diamonds, 
upon  the  next  evening  received  Richard  in  vast  state. 
She  proposed  to  impress  him  with  her  splendors.  Doro 
thy,  in  anticipation  of  the  meeting  between  mother  and 
lover,  had  gone  across  to  Bess ;  her  nervousness  must 
have  support. 

Richard,  whose  diplomacy  was  barbaric  and  pro 
ceeded  on  straight  lines,  told  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  of 
his  love  for  Dorothy.  As  his  handsome  face  lighted 
up,  even  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  not  unswept  of  ad 
miration.  She  could  look  into  Richard's  eyes,  and  see 
for  herself  those  gray  beauties  of  tenderness  and  truth 
that  had  won  Dorothy  to  his  side.  They  might  have 
won  even  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  she  not  been  a 
mother.  What  if  he  were  tender,  what  if  he  were  true? 
He  had  no  fortune,  no  place;  even  the  Admirable 
Crichton,  wanting  social  station  and  the  riches  whereon 
to  base  it,  would  have  been  impossible. 

When  Richard  had  ended  his  love-tale — which,  consid 
ering  that  for  all  his  outward  fortitude  he  was  inwardly 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    217 

quaking,  he  told  full  eloquently — Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
composed  herself  for  reply.  She  hardly  required  those 
warnings  of  Senator  Hanway ;  there  was  no  wish  now 
to  insult  or  humble  him.  In  truth,  Mrs.  Hanway-Har 
ley  was  in  the  best  possible  temper  to  carry  forward 
her  side  of  the  conference  in  manner  most  creditable  to 
herself  and  most  helpful  for  her  purposes.  More  than 
ever,  since  she  had  heard  him,  she  knew  the  perilous 
sway  this  man  must  own  over  her  daughter.  While  he 
talked,  the  deep,  true  tones  were  like  a  spell ;  the  great, 
tender,  persistent  will  of  a  man  in  loving  earnest  seemed 
as  with  a  thousand  soft,  resistless  hands  to  draw  her 
whither  it  would.  Even  she,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  self 
ish,  guarded,  worldly,  cold,  was  shaken  and  all  but 
conquered  beneath  the  natural  hypnotic  power  of  the 
male  when  speaking,  thinking,  feeling,  moving  from  the 
heart.  Oh,  she  would  warrant  her  daughter  loved  this 
wizard!  She,  herself,  was  driven  to  fence  against  his 
pleadings  to  keep  from  granting  all  he  asked.  But 
fence  she  did ;  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  remembered  that 
she  was  a  mother,  an  American  mother  whose  daughter 
had  been  asked  in  wedlock  by  a  Count.  She  must  pro 
tect  that  daughter  from  the  wizard  who  would  only 
love  to  blight. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  never  spoke  to  more  advan 
tage.  She  did  not  doubt  Mr.  Storms's  honesty,  she 
did  not  distrust  his  love ;  but  woman  could  not  live 


218  THE  PRESIDENT 

by  love  alone,  and  she  had  her  duty  as  a  mother. 
Dorothy  had  been  lapped  in  luxury;  it  was  neither 
right  nor  safe  that  her  daughter  should  marry  down 
hill.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  voice  was  smoothly  even. 
Mr.  Storms  must  forgive  a  question.  Something 
of  the  kind  had  been  asked  before,  but  changes 
might  have  intervened.  Had  Mr.  Storms  any  expecta 
tions  from  Mr.  Gwynn? 

"  Madam,"  replied  Richard,  while  a  queer  smile 
played  about  his  mouth,  a  smile  whereof  the  reason  was 
by  no  means  clear  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  "  madam, 
I  shall  be  wholly  honest.  Living  or  dead,  gift  or  will, 
I  shall  never  have  a  shilling  from  Mr.  Gwynn." 

"  Then,  Mr.  Storms,"  returned  Mrs.  Hanway-Har 
ley,  "  I  ask  you  whether  I  would  be  justified  in  wedding 
my  daughter  to  poverty?  " 

"  But  is  money,  that  is,  much  money,  so  important?  " 
pleaded  Richard.  "  I  have  education,  health,  brains — 
in  moderation — and  love  to  prompt  all  three.  That 
should  not  mean  beggary,  even  though  it  may  not  mean 
prodigious  wealth." 

"  Every  lover  has  talked  the  same,"  said  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley,  not  unkindly.  "  Believe  me,  Mr.  Storms : 
no  man  should  ask  a  woman  in  marriage  unless  he 
can  care  for  her  as  she  was  cared  for  in  her  father's 
house." 

"  But  the  father's  fortune  is  not  sure,"  remonstrated 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    219 

Richard.  "  The  father's  riches,  or  the  lover's  poverty, 
may  vanish  in  a  night." 

"  We  must  deal  with  the  present,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley. 

Richard  pondered  the  several  perplexities  of  the 
case. 

"  If  I  had  a  fortune  equal  to  Mr.  Harley's,  you 
would  not  object,  madam?  " 

"  It  is  the  only  bar  I  urge,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  suavely. 

"  Then  I  am  to  understand  that,  should  a  day  come 
when  I  can  measure  wealth  with  Mr.  Harley,  I  may 
claim  Dorothy  as  my  own?" 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  bowed. 

M  My  daughter,  however,  must  not  be  bound  by  any 
promise." 

"  Your  daughter,  madam,"  returned  Richard,  with 
a  color  of  pride,  "  shall  never  be  bound  by  me.  Though 
I  held  a  score  of  promises,  I  would  have  no  wife  who 
did  not  come  to  me  of  her  free  choice.  I  do  not  look 
on  love  as  a  business  proposition." 

"  Older  people  do,"  responded  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
dryly. 

"  Madam,"  said  Richard,  "  I  have  only  one  more 
question  to  ask.  What  is  to  be  my  attitude  towards 
your  daughter,  while  I  am  searching  for  that  fortune?  " 

It   was   here   that   Mrs.    Hanway-Harley   made  her 


THE  PRESIDENT 

greatest  stroke ;  she  reached  Richard  where  he  had  no 
defense. 

"  Your  attitude,  Mr.  Storms,  towards  my  daughter, 
I  shall  leave  to  you  for  adjustment  as  a  man  of  honor." 

Richard  crossed  the  street  to  Dorothy  and  told  her 
what  had  passed.  Dorothy  kissed  him,  and  cried  over 
him,  and  made  a  wail  against  their  darkling  fate. 

"  How  I  wish  papa  was  poor !  "  cried  Dorothy.  "  I 
wish  he  didn't  have  a  dollar ! "  Then,  conscience- 
stricken  :  "  No,  I  don't !  Poor  pop ;  he  doesn't  hate 
money,  if  I  do." 

Richard  took  Dorothy's  sweet  face  between  his  hands, 
and  looked  into  her  eyes. 

"  You  will  believe  me,  darling?  " 

"  Yes !  " 

"  Then  don't  weep,  don't  worry !  I  promise  that 
within  the  year  you  shall  be  my  wife.  I'll  find  the  way 
to  find  the  money." 

"  And  hear  me  promise,"  returned  Dorothy. 
"  Money  or  no  money,  I'll  become  your  wife  what  day 
you  will." 

Of  course,  after  such  a  speech,  there  befell  a  sweet 
world  and  all  of  foolish  tenderness ;  but,  since  the  scan 
dalized  Ajax  would  not  stay  to  witness  it,  neither 
shall  you. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  said  nothing  to  Dorothy  of 
her  interview  with  Richard;  she  appeared  to  believe 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE 

that  Richard  had  saved  her  that  labor.  There  was  a 
kind  of  sneer  in  this.  Feeling  the  sneer,  Dorothy  put 
no  questions ;  she  was  willing,  in  her  resentment,  to  have 
it  understood  that  Richard  had  told  her.  Why  should 
he  not  ? — she  who  was  to  be  his  wife !  Dorothy  would 
have  been  proud  to  proclaim  her  troth  from  the  house 
tops. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  had  Storri  to  dinner.  Doro 
thy,  when  he  was  announced,  sought  her  room.  A 
moment  later,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  at  the  door. 
She  came  in  cool,  collected,  no  trace  of  anger.  Why 
did  not  Dorothy  come  down  to  dinner?  Dorothy  did 
not  come  down  to  dinner  because  Dorothy  did  not 
choose. 

"  You  do  not  ask  Mr.  Storms  to  dinner,"  said 
Dorothy,  her  color  coming  and  her  eyes  beginning  to 
glow.  "  I  will  not  meet  your  Storri." 

"  Mr.  Storms  is  not  in  our  set,  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  coldly. 

"  He  is  in  my  heart,"  returned  Dorothy. 

The  self-willed  one  seated  herself  stoutly,  and  never 
another  word  could  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  draw  from 
her. 

Storri  received  the  excuses  for  Dorothy's  vacant 
place  at  table  which  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  offered;  for 
all  that  he  read  the  reason  of  her  absence,  and  his  pride 
fretted  under  it  as  under  a  lash. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

New  Year's  Day;  and  the  diplomatic  reception  at 
the  White  House.  The  President  stood  in  line  with  his 
Cabinet  people,  and  the  others  filed  by.  Richard, 
being  utterly  the  democrat,  was,  of  course,  utterly 
the  aristocrat,  since  these  be  extremes  that  never 
fail  to  meet.  Wherefore,  Richard  did  not  take  his 
place  in  the  procession  and  waver  painfully  forward, 
at  a  snail's  pace,  to  shake  the  Presidential  hand.  It 
was  a  foolish  ceremony  at  which  Richard's  self-respect 
rebelled.  There  was  no  hand,  no  masculine  hand,  at 
least,  which  Richard  would  wait  in  line  to  grasp. 

Richard,  while  declining  to  become  part  of  the 
pageant,  looked  on.  It  was  worth  while  as  a  study  in 
human  nature.  The  President  peculiarly  claimed  his 
notice ;  by  every  sign  it  was  this  man  who  would  oppose 
Senator  Hanway,  if  the  latter  gentleman  achieved  his 
ambition  and  was  put  forward  to  lead  his  party's  ticket. 
Richard  compared  the  present  handshaking  President 
with  Senator  Hanway,  the  latter  being  thereby  ad 
vanced.  The  President  was  a  smooth,  smug  personage, 
of  an  appetite  rather  than  an  ambition  for  office.  Am 
bition  is  a  captain,  appetite  a  camp-follower;  for  which 
reason  the  President  was  one  who  would  never  lead, 
never  oppose  a  movement.  Essentially,  he  was  of  the 
candidate  class.  Indeed,  he  had,  as  an  individual,  the 
best  characteristics  of  a  canal.  He  was  narrow,  even, 
currentless,  with  a  mental  fall  of  two  feet  in  the  mile. 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE 

He  lived  conservatively  between  his  banks,  and  went 
never  so  foolishly  lucid  as  to  show  you  how  shallow  he 
was.  Just  a  trifle  thick,  he  seemed  to  the  eye  as  deep 
as  the  skies  were  high ;  any  six-foot  question,  however, 
would  have  sounded  him. 

And  yet  he  was  in  his  day  much  lauded  as  a  safe 
executive.  There  may  have  been  truth  in  that.  Your 
man  of  timid,  slim,  and  shallow  mediocrities,  compar 
able  to  a  canal,  is  not  to  be  despised.  He  will  not  be 
the  Mississippi,  truly;  he  will  sweep  away  no  bridges, 
overflow  no  regions  roundabout ;  no  navies  will  battle 
on  his  bosom ;  the  world  in  its  giant  commerces  will  not 
make  of  him  a  thoroughfare.  But  he  will  mean  safety 
and  profit  for  a  horde  of  little  special  selfish  interests, 
and  that  is  the  sort  of  President  a  day  dominated  of 
Money  demands.  In  the  far  Southwest  the  cattle 
barons  knock  the  horns  off  cattle ;  a  hornless  steer  comes 
to  the  slaughter  pen  more  quietly  and  with  less  of  threat 
to  those  who  handle  him.  In  a  day  when  Money  rules 
as  King,  its  first  care  is  to  knock  the  horns  off  orig 
inality  and  brains.  Money  wants  no  great  horned 
mental  forces  roaming  the  world ;  they  might  become  a 
threat.  Richard  thought  on  these  matters  as  he  con 
sidered  this  conservative,  careful  White  House  one, 
whose  pains  had  ever  been  to  think  nothing  that  hadn't 
been  thought,  say  nothing  that  hadn't  been  said,  do 
nothing  that  hadn't  been  done. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

"  He  is  like  a  bucket  of  spring  water,"  thought  Rich 
ard,  as  he  turned  away,  "  cool,  pure,  tasteless.  But 
there  isn't  enough  of  him  to  put  out  a  fire,  or  swim  a 
boat,  or  turn  the  wheel  of  any  mill  of  moment." 

Richard  went  into  the  Green  Drawing-room,  where 
the  younger,  gayer  spirits  were  "  receiving  behind  the 
line."  There  he  saw  Dorothy  and  Bess.  Before  he 
could  go  to  them,  he  caught  the  snarling  accents  of 
Storri.  He  turned ;  that  Russ  was  almost  at  his  elbow. 
Storri,  as  though  for  Richard's  ear,  was  saying  to  a 
vapid  young  man  whom  Richard  had  seen  at  the  club : 

"  Oh !  that  is  Miss  Harley ;— the  one  with  the  blue 
eyes  and  black  hair.  Bad  combination,  believe  me !  I, 
who  am  a  gentleman — a  Russian  gentleman — give  you 
my  word  that  blue  eyes  and  black  hair  mean  treason  to 
a  lover.  No,  I  can't  take  you  to  her ;  she  has  shown 
a  preference  for  me,  and  I  do  not  care  to  distin 
guish  her  by  too  much  notice  until  I  have  thought  her 
over.  On  my  soul,  yes ;  I  must  think  her  over !  " 

Richard's  hand  fell  heavy  and  rude  on  Storri's  shoul 
der. 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  he. 

Storri  had  not  counted  on  this;  those  sacred  White 
House  walls  should  have  protected  him.  He  looked  ap- 
pealingly  at  his  friend. 

"  Your  friend  will  pardon  you,"  said  Richard  coolly, 
"  and,  for  this  time,  you  shall  come  back  safe." 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE    225 

Richard  drew  Storri  to  a  window,  where  they  were 
by  themselves. 

"  Pay  heed  to  what  I  shall  say,"  gritted  Richard,  and 
his  eyes  gave  forth  a  gray  glimmer,  like  a  saber  sud 
denly  unsheathed :  "  You  must  never  take  Miss  Harley's 
name  upon  your  lips.  Should  you  do  so,  I  shall  twist 
your  neck  as  once  I  twisted  your  fingers." 

Storri  began  a  spluttering  stammer  of  protest  and 
reproach. 

"  Don't  hector  me !  "  whispered  Richard,  with  a  sharp 
fervor  of  ferocity  that  made  Storri  start,  "  or,  when 
next  we  meet  in  the  street,  I'll  take  my  cane  and  beat 
you  like  a  dog !  " 

Storri  turned  and  tried  to  hide  the  fear  that  fed  upon 
him  with  a  tinge  of  swagger.  This  in  the  White  House 
— the  palace  of  their  President!  Storri  was  more  and 
more  convinced  that  the  Americans  were  a  rabble  and 
not  a  people ! 

"  Remember !  "  said  Richard,  and  the  tones  were  like 
a  threat  of  death. 

That  evening,  early,  Richard  met  Dorothy  at  Bess 
Marklin's.  He  made  no  revelations  touching  his  col 
loquy  with  Storri.  There  was  a  thick  down-come  of 
snow,  and  the  new  flakes  covered  the  street  like  feathers 
to  a  fluffy  depth  of  two  inches.  As  Dorothy  and 
Richard  reached  the  sidewalk  on  Dorothy's  return  to 
the  Harley  house,  Richard,  with  the  abrupt  remark: 


THE  PRESIDENT 

"  I'll  save  you  from  the  snow,  my  dear !  "  caught  Doro 
thy  in  those  Pict  arms  and  strode  across. 

Dorothy  was  so  amazed  by  this  gallant  attention  that 
she  was  over  before  she  spoke  a  word.  As  Richard 
landed  her,  light  as  a  leaf,  within  her  father's  portals, 
she  said  in  remonstrance: 

"What  made  you  do  it?  Did  you  not  see  that 
odious  Storri  coming?  " 

"  It  was  for  Storri  I  did  it.  I  wanted  to  emphasize 
some  remarks  I  had  the  honor  to  make  to  him  this  after 
noon." 

Dorothy  fluttered  to  her  room  to  prepare  for  the 
seven-o'clock  dinner,  while  her  unconventional  loved  one 
turned  with  a  hope  of  meeting  Storri.  The  fierce  truth 
was,  Richard,  who,  as  you  have  been  told,  was  at  bottom 
full  as  savage  as  the  Russian,  had  gone  hungering  for 
hostilities  with  that  nobleman.  Storri's  comments  on 
Dorothy  had  exploded  all  the  hateful  powder  in  Rich 
ard's  composition. 

Storri  may  have  had  some  glint  of  Richard's  feeling ; 
sure  it  was  that,  although  bent  upon  dining  at  the 
Harley  house  when  he  was  so  unexpectedly  treated  by 
Richard  and  Dorothy  to  that  picture  of  Paul  and  Vir 
ginia  modernized,  he  wheeled  upon  his  heel  and  disap 
peared.  Richard,  search  as  he  might,  met  never  the 
shadow  nor  the  ghost  of  Storri. 

Storri  went  direct  to  his  rooms.     All  the  wolves  of 


STORRI  PLOTS  A  VENGEANCE 

anger  and  jealousy  and  hate  were  tearing  at  his  soul. 
Richard's  threats;  and  he  too  craven  to  make  reply! 
Dorothy  in  Richard's  arms ;  and  he  powerless  to  inter 
fere!  The  day  had  been  a  day  of  fire  for  him!  He 
must  make  a  plan ;  he  must  have  revenge. 

Full  of  a  black  resolve,  Storri  tore  open  his  desk. 
He  took  out  those  French  shares  and  fluttered  the  little 
package  of  papers  between  his  angry  fingers  as  though 
the  feel  of  them  could  give  him  consolation.  He  looked 
at  those  poor  forgeries  of  his  name  by  Mr.  Harley. 
Then  he  wrote  a  note  to  that  gentleman  and  urged  him, 
by  every  name  of  business,  to  call  without  delay.  Mr. 
Harley  must  come  at  once.  The  note  in  the  hands 
of  a  messenger,  Storri  commenced  to  rove  the  floor  like 
some  rage-frenzied  beast. 

"  We  shall  see !  "  he  cried,  tossing  his  hands.  "  I 
have  the  father  in  my  fingers — aye !  in  these  fingers !  I 
can  pull  him  to  pieces  like  a  toasted  lark — yes,  limb 
from  pinion,  I,  Storri,  shall  tear  him  asunder!  I  can 
torture,  I  can  crush!  He  is  mine  to  destroy!  My 
power  over  him  shall  be  my  power  over  her !  The  stub 
born  Dorothy  shall  come  to  me  on  her  knees — to  me, 
Storri,  whom  she  has  affronted!  She  shall  beg  my 
favor  for  her  father !  What  should  be  the  ransom  ?  Who 
shall  measure  my  Demands  when  I  have  conquered?  I, 
who  am  to  have  my  neck  twisted! — I,  who  am  to  be 
beaten  like  a  dog! — I  shall  name  to  her  the  terms. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

They  shall  be  ruin — ruin  for  her,  ruin  for  him,  ruin 
for  all  who  have  put  their  slights  upon  me !  The  proud 
Dorothy  must  give  me  herself  to  buy  her  father's 
safety!  Her  pride  shall  creep,  her  face  lie  in  the 
dust !  She  shall  be  Storri's !  When  her  beauty  fades 
—in  a  year — in  two  years — I  will  cast  her  aside;  I, 
Storri,  whom  these  feeble  people  have  defied !  " 

In  the  midst  of  the  ravings  of  the  hate-racked 
Storri,  there  came  a  tap.  A  card  was  thrust  in. 
Storri's  onyx  eyes  gloated  as  he  read  the  name. 

"  Harley !  "  said  Storri.  Then  to  the  one  at  the 
door :  "  Have  him  up  !  "  His  voice  sunk  to  an  exultant 
whisper  as  he  heard  Mr.  Harley's  step  in  the  hall. 
"  Now  is  my  vengeance  to  begin  the  feast !  They  shall 
know,  these  feeble  ones,  what  it  is  to  brave  a  Russian !  " 


CHAPTER  XI 

HOW    MR.    HARI/EY    FOUND    HIMSELF    A    FORGER 

IN  the  economy  of  the  Harleys,  the  gray  mare  was 
the  better  horse,  at  least  the  gray  mare  thought 
so.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  put  no  faith  in  Mr. 
Harley.  He  was  an  acquiescent  if  not  an  obedient  hus 
band,  and,  rather  than  bicker,  would  submit  to  be  mod 
erately  henpecked.  When  the  henpecking  was  carried 
to  excess,  Mr.  Harley  did  not  peck  back ;  he  clapped 
on  his  hat,  bolted  for  the  door,  and  escaped.  These 
measures,  while  effective  in  so  far  that  they  carried  Mr. 
Harley  beyond  the  immediate  range  of  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley's  guns,  left  that  wife  and  mother  with  a  depleted 
opinion  of  Mr.  Harley.  She  could  not  respect  one  who 
failed  to  give  her  battle,  being  offered  proper  provoca 
tion  ;  and  in  that  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  one  with  all 
the  world.  To  fight  is  now  and  then  an  obligation. 

Thinking  thus  lightly  of  Mr.  Harley,  and  remember 
ing,  too,  that  Dorothy  could  coil  him  round  her  finger, 
quell  him  with  a  tear,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  did  not 
take  him  into  her  confidence  as  to  those  love  proffers 
of  Storri,  and  Dorothy's  rebellion.  What  would  have 
been  the  good?  Mr.  Harley 's  advice  was  nothing,  while 


230  THE  PRESIDENT 

his  countenance,  as  far  as  it  went,  would  be  given  to 
Dorothy  the  disobedient.  Also,  he  would  go  to  Senator 
Hanway  with  the  tangle.  Such  a  course  might  bring 
her  brother  actively  upon  the  field ;  and  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  had  gleaned  enough  from  her  talk  with  Senator 
Hanway  to  know  that,  should  he  assume  a  part,  it  would 
not  be  in  support  of  her  interest.  These  considerations 
came  and  went  in  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  mind,  with 
the  result  that  she  decided  to  say  nothing  to  Mr. 
Harley. 

Dorothy,  for  argument  of  modesty  and  a  girl's  re 
serve,  emulated  her  mother's  example  of  silence.  For 
one  thing,  she  felt  herself  in  no  danger.  As  against 
the  demands  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  Dorothy,  thus 
far,  had  held  the  high  ground.  Moreover,  she  was 
confident  of  final  victory.  No  one  could  compel  her 
either  to  receive  Storri's  addresses  or  cease  to  think  of 
Richard.  Dorothy  added  to  this  the  knowledge  that, 
should  she  draw  Mr.  Harley  into  her  troubles  by  even 
so  much  as  a  word  of  their  existence,  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  might  be  relied  upon  from  that  moment  to 
charge  him  with  being  the  author  of  every  disappoint 
ment  she  underwent.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  as 
Mr.  Harley  complacently  sat  down  to  dinner  that  par 
ticular  New  Year's  evening,  he  had  not  been  given  a 
murmur  of  those  loves  and  hates  and  commands  and 
defiances  and  promises  and  intermediations  which  made 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  231 

busy  the  closing  days  of  the  recent  year  for  Dorothy, 
Richard,  Bess,  Storri,  and  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  Mr. 
Harley  possessed  an  excellent  appetite  that  New  Year's 
evening:  it  might  have  been  diminished  of  edge  had  his 
ignorance  been  less. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  looked  for  Storri  to  drop  in, 
but  since  the  promise  of  his  coming  was  known  only 
to  herself — she  did  not  care  to  furnish  the  news  of  it 
to  Dorothy  the  rebellious — the  failure  of  that  noble 
man  to  appear  bred  no  general  dismay.  The  dinner 
went  soberly  forward,  and  Mr.  Harley  especially  de 
rived  great  benefit  therefrom. 

Mr.  Harley  had  just  finished  his  final  glass  of  wine, 
and  was  saying  something  fictional  about  a  gentleman 
at  the  Arlington  upon  whom  he  ought  to  call,  and  what 
a  bore  calling  upon  the  fictional  gentleman  would  be, 
when  Storri's  note  came  into  his  hands.  He  glanced  it 
over,  and  then  seized  upon  it  as  the  very  thing  to  fur 
nish  a  look  of  integrity  to  his  story  of  the  mythical 
one.  He  gave  the  note  a  petulant  slap  with  the  back 
of  his  fingers,  and  remarked: 

"  I  declare !     Here  he  is  writing  me  to  come  at  once." 

Mr.  Harley  got  into  his  hat  and  coat,  and  then  got 
into  the  street,  observing  as  he  did  so  that  he  feared 
the  business  in  hand  might  keep  him  far  into  the 
morning. 

The  guilty  truth  was  this:    Mr.  Harley  concealed  a 


THE  PRESIDENT 

private  purpose  to  play  cards  with  a  select  circle  of 
statesmen  who  owned  a  taste  to  begin  the  year  with 
draw  poker  at  Chamberlin's.  However,  there  existed 
in  the  destinies  of  Mr.  Harley  not  the  faintest  call  for 
all  this  elaboration  of  deceit.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
would  not  have  uttered  a  whisper  of  objection  had  he 
openly  declared  for  an  absence  of  a  fortnight,  with  the 
design  of  playing  poker,  nothing  but  poker,  every  mo 
ment  of  the  time.  But  it  is  the  vain  fancy  of  some  men 
to  believe  themselves  and  their  company  those  things 
most  longed  for  at  home,  when  the  precise  converse  of 
such  condition  of  longing  is  the  one  which  exists,  and 
this  fancy  was  among  the  weaknesses  of  Mr.  Harley. 
Besides,  he  revered  the  truth  so  much  that,  like  his  Sun 
day  coat,  he  employed  it  only  on  rare  occasions,  and 
when  advantage  could  be  arrived  at  in  no  other  way. 
Truth  was  a  pearl,  and  Mr.  Harley  felt  strongly 
against  casting  it  before  the  swine  of  every  common 
occurrence,  when  mendacity  would  do  as  well  or  better. 
Wherefore,  and  to  keep  his  hand  in,  Mr.  Harley  in 
variably  romanced  in  whatever  he  vouchsafed  of  himself 
or  his  habits  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  Nor  was  this 
so  unjust  as  at  a  first  blink  it  might  seem.  If  Mr. 
Harley  misled  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  as  to  his  personal 
movements,  she  in  return  told  him  nothing  at  all  of  her 
own,  the  result,  to  wit,  total  darkness,  being  the  same 
for  both.  However,  they  were  perfectly  satisfied, 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER 

rightly  esteeming  the  situation  one  wherein,  if  igno 
rance  were  not  bliss,  at  least  it  was  folly  to  be 
wise. 

The  winter  evening,  still,  not  cold,  was  clear  and 
crisp,  with  the  snow  squeaking  cheerfully  under  foot, 
and  Mr.  Harley  waddled  on  his  way  towards  Storri's 
door  in  that  blandness  of  mood  which  comes  to  one 
whose  wine  and  dinner  and  stomach  are  in  comfortable 
accord.  Waddled  is  the  word ;  for  with  his  short  legs, 
and  that  profundity  of  belt  proper  to  gentlemen  who 
have  reached  the  thither  side  of  middle  age,  and  given 
years  to  good  eating  and  drinking,  Mr.  Harley  had 
long  since  ceased  to  walk. 

Mr.  Harley  was  not  surprised  by  the  urgent  char 
acter  of  Storri's  summons.  Doubtless,  the  business  re 
lated  to  Credit  Magellan,  and  what  steps  in  Wall  Street 
and  the  Senate  were  being  taken  for  a  conquest  of 
Northern  Consolidated.  Affairs  in  those  theaters  of 
commercial  effort  were  as  they  should  be.  Things  were 
moving  slowly,  they  must  of  necessity  move  slowly,  and 
Storri  had  grown  impatient.  The  Russian's  warmth  was 
expected ;  Mr.  Harley  had  read  him  long  since  like  a 
primer  book.  Storri  was  excitable,  volatile,  full  of 
fever  and  impulse,  prone  to  go  off  at  tangents.  In 
some  stress  of  nerves  he  had  sent  for  Mr.  Harley  to 
urge  expedition  or  ask  for  explanations.  The  thing 
had  chanced  before.  Mr.  Harley  would  cool  him  into 


234  THE  PRESIDENT 

calmness  with  a  dozen  words.  Storri's  poise  restored, 
Mr.  Harley  would  seek  those  speculative  statesmen,  lust 
ing  for  draw-poker.  He  should  be  with  them  by  ten 
o'clock — a  ripe  hour  for  cards.  Mr.  Harley  would 
oppose  poker  in  its  usual  form  and  argue  for  table- 
stakes — five  thousand  dollars  a  corner.  Two  of  the 
speculative  statesmen  were  not  worth  five  thousand  dol 
lars.  So  much  the  better;  in  case  he  were  fortunate, 
Mr.  Harley  would  accept  their  paper.  The  last  was  to 
be  preferred  to  money.  Mr.  Harley  had  many  irons  of 
legislation  in  the  congressional  fires ;  a  statesman's  note 
of  hand  should  operate  to  pave  the  way  when  his  influ 
ence  and  his  vote  were  to  be  asked  for.  Should  Mr.  Har 
ley  lose  at  poker,  his  losses  would  be  charged  against 
that  railroad  and  those  coal  companies  whose  interests 
about  Congress  it  was  Mr.  Harley's  mission  to  conserve. 
There  was  no  doubt  of  the  propriety  of  such  charges ; 
they  belonged  in  any  account  which  was  intended  to 
register  the  cost  of  legislation.  If  you  but  stop  and 
think,  you  must  see  the  truth  of  the  above.  Thus 
cantered  the  cogitations  of  Mr.  Harley  until,  fetching 
up  at  his  journey's  end,  he  sent  in  his  card  to 
Storri. 

At  Mr.  Harley's  appearance,  Storri's  arm-tossing 
and  raving  ended  abruptly.  He  became  oily  and  purr- 
ingly  suave,  and  bid  Mr.  Harley  light  a  cigar  which 
he  tendered.  A  cat  will  play  with  a  mouse  before  com- 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  235 

ing  to  the  final  kill;  and  there  was  a  broad  streak  of 
the  feline  in  Storri.  Now  that  his  victim  was  within 
spring,  he  would  play  with  him  as  preliminary  to  the 
supreme  joy  of  that  last  lethal  crunch. 

Following  the  usual  salutations,  Mr.  Harley  sat  in 
peace  and  favor  with  himself,  waiting  for  Storri  to 
begin.  He  would  let  Storri  vent  his  excitement,  blow 
off  steam,  as  Mr.  Harley  expressed  it ;  and  then  he  would 
go  about  those  calmative  steps  of  explanation  and  as 
surance  suggested  of  the  case. 

Storri  strode  up  and  down,  eying  Mr.  Harley  with 
a  mixed  expression  of  cruelty  and  triumph  which,  had 
Mr.  Harley  caught  the  picture  of  it,  might  have  made 
him  feel  uneasy.  However,  Mr.  Harley  was  not 
looking  at  Storri.  He  was  thinking  on  ending 
the  interview  as  quickly  and  conveniently  as  he 
might,  and  hurrying  posthaste  to  those  speculative 
ones. 

"  Why  did  I  bring  you  here  to-night  ?  "  asked  Storri 
at  last. 

"  Northern  Consolidated,  I  suppose,"  said  Mr.  Har 
ley,  looking  up. 

Storri  laughed,  and  a  white  flash  of  his  teeth  showed 
in  a  tigerish  way. 

"  Come !  "  cried  Storri,  smiting  his  hands  in  a  kind  of 
rapture  of  cruelty ;  "  I  will  not,  what  you  call  it,  beat 
about  the  bush.  It  is  not  Credit  Magellan ;  it  is  not 


236  THE  PRESIDENT 

Northern  Consolidated;  no,  it  is  not  business  at  all. 
What !  shall  Storri  be  forever  at  some  grind  of  busi 
ness?  Shall  he  never  pause  for  love?  My  Czar  would 
tell  you  another  tale.  Listen,  my  friend.  I  have 
done  you  the  honor — I,  Storri,  a  Russian  noble 
man,  have  done  you  the  honor  to  adore  your  daugh 
ter." 

Mr.  Harley  gaped  and  stared ;  he  could  not  have 
been  more  impressed  had  the  statue  of  Liberty  which 
topped  the  Capitol  dome  stepped  down  for  a  stroll  in 
the  Capitol  grounds.  And  yet  he  was  not  shocked ;  if 
Dorothy  had  decided  on  Storri  for  her  husband,  well 
and  good ;  he  was  too  indulgent  a  father  to  quarrel 
with  her. 

"  I  have  spoken  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  of  my  pas 
sion,"  continued  Storri,  still  pacing  to  and  fro.  "  She 
is  so  charming  as  to  encourage  it." 

"  Why,  then,"  broke  in  Mr.  Harley,  in  evident  relief, 
"  you  have  gone  the  right  way  about  the  matter.  If 
my  wife  favors  you,  assuredly  you  may  count  upon 
my  consent." 

"  Bah ! "  returned  Storri,  snapping  his  fingers. 
"  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  consents ;  you  consent ;  I  am 
flattered!  The  fastidious  Miss  Dorothy,  however,  re 
fuses  my  love — puts  it  aside!  Storri  is  not  the  man! 
On  my  soul !  Storri  is  declined  by  a  little  American 
who  draws  her  blood  from  peasants !  "  and  Storri  threw 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  237 

his  hands  palm  upward,  expressing  self-contempt  in 
view  of  the  insult  thus  put  upon  him. 

"  Does  my  daughter  decline  your  love?  " 

"  It  is  not  that."  Storri  could  not  for  his  vanity's 
sake,  even  after  he  himself  had  used  them,  accept  those 
terms.  "  Her  heart  has — what  shall  we  say? — a 
tenant.  Your  daughter  has  gone  among  her  own  kind 
with  her  love.  It  is  that  fellow  Storms — it  is  he  whom 
your  daughter's  taste  prefers." 

"  Dorothy  loves  Mr.  Storms,"  said  Mr.  Harley, 
speaking  slowly,  as  men  will  on  the  receipt  of  surpris 
ing  news.  "  And  she  does  not  love  you."  After  a 
thoughtful  pause,  Mr.  Harley  concluded :  "  It  is  a 
subject  about  which  I  should  hesitate  to  counsel  my 
daughter." 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  to  counsel  her ;  you  shall  compel 
her." 

"  Why,  sir !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Harley,  starting  up  and 
growing  apoplectic  with  anger,  "  do  you  imagine  that 
I'll  force  my  child  into  your  arms?  If  you  were  that 
Czar  whom  you  are  so  fond  of  quoting,  I  would  not 
doit!" 

This  came  off  in  a  great  burst,  and  Mr.  Harley  in 
his  turn  began  to  pace  the  floor.  The  two  passed  and 
repasscd  each  other  as  they  walked  up  and  doAvn,  Mr. 
Harley  puffing  and  swelling,  Storri  surveying  him  with 
leering  superiority. 


238  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Sit  down !  "  cried  Storri  suddenly,  after  a  minute 
spent  in  marching  and  countermarching.  "  I  will  show 
you  that  you  are  in  my  hand." 

Storri  had  become  calm  and  business-like ;  his  new 
manner  mystified  Mr.  Harley  and  worked  upon  him. 
He  dropped  into  the  chair  to  which  Storri  motioned 
him.  From  his  pocket,  Storri  took  out  those  French 
shares. 

"  Do  you  see  where  you  forged  my  name?  "  said  he. 
"  Can  you  tell  me  the  punishment  for  forgery  ?  " 

"  Forgery !  "  panted  Mr.  Harley,  in  a  whirl  of  rage 
and  wonder.  "  Did  you  not  tell  me  to  write  your  name? 
Was  it  not  to  sustain  your  deal  in  sugar?  " 

"  Come — you  Harley — you  John  Harley,"  returned 
Storri,  his  cruelty  beginning  to  bubble  into  exultation, 
"  how  small  a  thing  you  are  when  opposed  to  Storri ! 
See,  now ;  it  begins  when  you  sacrifice  for  me  those 
seven  thousand  dollars.  It  was  then  I  set  a  trap  for 
you — you,  the  cunning  Mr.  Harley  !  It  was  so  simple ; 
I  need  only  give  you  a  chance  to  forge  my  name  and 
you  forge  it.  From  that  moment  you  have  had  but 
the  one  alternative.  You  must  follow  my  commands, 
or  you  must  take  the  common  course  of  criminals,  and 
go  to  prison.  And  now — }TOU  Harley — you  John  Har 
ley — you,  who  pride  yourself  for  your  respectability, 
for  your  place  in  the  world,  for  your  illustrious  rela 
tive  Senator  Hanway — hear  me:  You  are  to  be  my 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  239 

slave — my  dog  to  fetch  and  carry.  You  are  to  do  my 
will ;  or  I  swear  by  my  Czar  and  by  the  heart  in  the 
breast  of  my  Czar  that  I'll  drag  you  before  the  wprld 
as  a  felon." 

Storri  delivered  this  menace  with  a  ruthless  energy 
that  sent  it  home  like  a  javelin.  It  struck  the  color 
from  the  ruddy  countenance  of  Mr.  Harley,  and  left 
him  white  as  linen  three  times  bleached. 

"  Yes,"  went  on  the  vindictive  Storri  in  an  exultant 
crow,  "  did  you  little  people  believe  you  were  to  laugh 
at  Storri  and  pass  unpunished?  Did  you  think  to 
insult  him  and  escape  his  vengeance  ?  Bah !  the  super 
fine  Dorothy  is  to  spurn  Storri  for  a  varlet  like  this 
Storms !  She  is  to  laugh  at  Storri's  love,  and  tell  how 
she  refused  a  nobleman !  Excellent ;  we  shall  see  her 
laugh  when  her  father — Mr.  Harley — Mr.  John  Har 
ley — the  great  Mr.  John  Harley — brother-by-law  of 
the  still  greater  Senator  Hanway — stands  in  the  dock 
as  a  forger.  Will  not  our  Dorothy  laugh?  John 
Harley,  forger ;  why  not !  " 

Mr.  Harley  sat  ghastly  and  still,  while  Storri  rambled 
on  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  torture.  He  did  not  leave 
Mr.  Harley  a  hope  wherewith  to  prop  himself.  The 
deal  in  sugar  had  been  in  Mr.  Harley's  sole  name — an 
individual  deal.  There  was  not  the  flourish  of  a  pen 
to  prove  Storri's  interest.  Storri  would  even  show 
how,  for  that  very  sugar  stock,  in  that  very  market, 


240  THE  PRESIDENT 

he  was  dealing  the  other  way,  selling  ten  thousand 
shares. 

",But  you  paid  your  half  of  the  losses  in  the  deal  in 
my  name."  Mr.  Harley's  voice,  commonly  rich  and 
full,  was  huskily  dry.  "  That,  when  I  show  it,  will 
prove  your  interest." 

"And  how  are  you  to  show  it?  "  cried  Storri.  "I  paid 
in  money ;  I  did  not  give  you  a  check.  There's  not  an 
exculpatory  scrap  at  bank  or  broker's  in  your  defense. 
You  make  a  deal ;  you  are  crowded  for  margins ;  you 
have  my  French  shares  in  your  pocket  as  my  agent 
in  another  transaction ;  you  offer  them ;  the  broker  will 
not  accept,  they  do  not  have  my  signature ;  you  are 
back  in  five  minutes  with  a  forgery,  and  obtain  the 
money  you  require.  The  thing  is  complete ;  I  tell  you, 
Harley — Mr.  John  Harley — you  are  trapped.  There 
is  no  escape ;  I  have  my  knee  on  your  neck." 

Mr.  Harley,  still  white,  was  beginning  to  regain  his 
mental  feet.  He  saw  the  apparent  hold  that  Storri 
had  upon  him.  It  was  enough.  To  be  merely  charged 
as  a  forger — to  be  apprehended  as  a  criminal,  would  be 
ruin,  utter  ruin,  even  if  the  affair  were  there  to  end. 
It  would  mean  the  downfall  of  Senator  Hanway's  hopes 
of  a  White  House.  The  simple  arrest — it  would  go 
like  wildfire  throughout  the  press — meant  destruction 
for  Senator  Hanway,  for  Dorothy,  for  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley,  for  all. 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER 

White  and  stricken,  Mr.  Harley  pondered  these  ques 
tions,  while  Storri  watched  him.  Storri  himself  did  not 
care  to  push  for  extremes.  In  his  vain  egotism,  which 
was  like  a  madness,  he  would  not  have  scrupled  to  brand 
Mr.  Harley  as  a  forger  had  he  been  defied.  But  such 
a  step  was  not  what  Storri  aimed  at.  It  was  his  own  pos 
session  of  Dorothy  rather  than  a  vengeance  upon  Mr. 
Harley  that  he  sought  to  compass.  Therefore,  as  Storri 
made  plain  his  power  and  threatened  its  exercise,  he 
considered  Mr.  Harley  with  the  narrow  intentness  of  a 
lynx.  He  was  striving  to  measure  the  other's  resist 
ance.  He  noted  the  horror  of  Mr.  Harley  at  the  term 
forger;  he  observed  Mr.  Harley's  growing  sense  of 
helplessness  as  he,  Storri,  set  forth  how  Mr.  Harley 
lay  in  the  toils.  Now,  when  Mr.  Harley  was  prostrate 
beneath  the  harrow  of  every  alarm,  Storri,  sure  of  suc 
cess,  went  off  on  an  easier  tack — that  is,  easier  for  Mr. 
Harley. 

"  But  why  do  we  lose  our  self-control?  "  cried  Storri, 
voice  and  manner  changed  from  black  to  white,  clouds 
to  sunshine ;  "  we  are  men,  not  angry  children !  See, 
now,  I  want  nothing  a  gentleman  of  honor  might  not 
grant.  I  love  your  daughter — good !  a  Russian  noble 
man  loves  your  daughter !  Is  that  disgrace  ?  You  ap 
prove  ;  your  wife  approves !  The  daughter  is  young ; 
she  must  be  wooed  before  she  is  won.  What  then:  Is 
Storri  to  despair?  The  lady  would  put  Storri's  love 


THE  PRESIDENT 

to  the  test.  She  says :  '  You  must  court  me  before  you 
shall  wed  me.  You  are  not  to  have  me  without  a 
struggle,  lest  you  think  me  of  small  worth.'  The  lady 
has  pride ;  the  lady  has  discretion ;  the  lady  sets  a  value 
upon  herself.  Why  should  she  not?  It  compels  me, 
Storri,  to  appreciate  her  charms  still  more  and  more. 
There ;  I  have  painted  the  state  of  affairs.  I  have  now 
but  two  requests;  I  will  not  call  those  requests  com 
mands,"  and  Storri  rustled  the  French  shares  suggest 
ively.  "  No,  I  am  to  call  them  requests.  Can  you  not 
exercise  a  paternal  authority  to  have  your  daughter  re 
ceive  my  respectful  visits?  Also,  can  you  not  exercise 
it  to  put  an  end,  absolutely  an  end,  to  her  interviews 
with  this  Mr.  Storms?" 

"  How  can  I  compel  her  ?  " 

"  You  must  do  it !  "  roared  Storri,  his  anger  taking 
renewed  edge.  "  You  must,  you  shall !  What !  am  I 
to  be  thwarted,  affronted,  undone  by  a  girl?  Two 
things  I  demand:  she  is  to  see  me;  and  she  is 
not  to  see  that  Storms.  Do  I  ask  much?  It  is 
little  for  a  child  to  pay  for  a  father's  safety;  lit 
tle  for  a  man  to  pay  for  his  own.  What  forger 
or  what  forger's  daughter  has  made  such  terms? 
Bah!" 

The  insult  scarcely  roused  Mr.  Harley;  he  was 
stunned,  his  face  was  clammy  with  sweat.  It  was  like  a 
dream  of  horror!  Look  where  he  would,  there  showed 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  24S 

but  the  one  door  of  escape.  Storri  was  to  see  Dorothy ; 
Dorothy  was  not  to  see  Richard ! 

After  all,  it  did  not  present  unbearable  conditions. 
Moreover,  time  would  bring  about  its  shifts.  In  a 
week,  in  a  month,  in  six  months,  Mr.  Harley  might 
have  Storri  helpless  as  Storri  now  had  him.  It  was  a 
case  for  delay ;  Mr.  Harley  must  have  breathing  space. 

"  That  is  all  you  require  ?  "  said  Mr.  Harley,  his 
voice  the  same  dry,  husky  croak.  "  You  are  to  see  my 
daughter?  and  Mr.  Storms  is  not  to  see  her?  " 

"  Do  that,  and  I  will  answer  for  the  balance!  "  cried 
Storri.  "  Do  that,  and  she  will  love  me — she  will  be 
my  wife !  " 

"  And  no  more  talk  of — of  forgeries  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Harley ! "  exclaimed  Storri,  "  I  am  a 
gentleman — a  Russian  gentleman.  I  ask  you,  in  can 
dor,  does  a  gentleman  arrest  his  wife's  father  on  a 
charge  of  forgery?  Come;  let  us  have  confidence  in 
one  another.  We  are  friends,  are  we  not? — we,  who 
are  to  be  in  closer  alliance  when  your  daughter  becomes 
my  Countess  wife.  Bah!  who  shall  talk  of  forgeries 
then?" 

The  evening  was  still  young — nine  o'clock — when  Mr, 
Harley  found  himself  again  in  the  street,  bending  his 
slow  step  homeward.  He  was  wholly  adrift  now  from 
any  thought  of  those  speculative  ones  at  Chamberlin's. 
What  Storri  had  said  engrossed  him  miserably.  He 


244  THE  PRESIDENT 

entertained  no  doubt  but  what  Storri  would  carry  into 
execution  those  threats  of  arrest,  should  his  desires  con 
cerning  Dorothy  meet  with  opposition.  The  fear  of 
his  own  disgrace  appalled  Mr.  Harley.  He  did  not 
lack  for  courage,  but  his  interview  with  Storri  had 
buried  him  beneath  a  spell  of  terror. 

It  was  peculiarly  a  condition  to  frighten  Mr.  Harley 
to  the  core.  He  was  proud  in  a  coarse  way  of  the  for 
tune  he  had  gathered.  He  had  based  himself  on  his 
position  as  a  business,  not  to  say  a  legislative,  force, 
and  used  it  to  patronize,  not  always  delicately,  those 
among  his  fellows  who  had  not  climbed  so  high.  In 
exacting  what  was  a  money  due,  he  had  ever  proceeded 
with  but  little  scruple.  He  had  measured  his  right  by 
measuring  his  strength,  and  hud  not  failed  to  take  his 
pound  of  flesh.  In  brief,  Mr.  Harley,  possessing,  like 
many  another  fat  gentleman,  those  numerous  porcine 
traits  of  brutal  selfishness  and  a  lack  of  sentiment  or 
sympathy,  had  considered  always  his  own  interests,  fol 
lowing  them  though  they  took  him  roughshod  over 
another's  dearest  hopes.  For  which  good  reasons  Mr. 
Harley  had  foes,  and  knew  it ;  there  would  be  no  absence 
of  rejoicing  over  his  downfall. 

But  what  could  Mr.  Harley  offer  for  defense? 
What,  beyond  mere  compliance  with  Storri's  wishes, 
might  avert  those  calamities  that  seemed  swinging  in 
the  air  above  him?  He  considered  everything,  and  de- 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  245 

vised  nothing ;  he  was  like  a  man  without  eyes  or  as 
one  shut  in  by  night.  In  his  desperation,  a  flighty 
thought  of  taking  Storri's  life  appealed  to  him  for  one 
murderous  moment.  It  was  only  for  a  moment,  and 
then  he  thrust  it  aside  with  a  shudder;  not  from  any 
morality,  but  his  instant  common  sense  showed  how  in 
sane  it  would  be  as  a  method  of  escape,  and  with  that 
he  shrunk  back  from  it  as  from  a  precipice.  And  yet 
there  was  to  be  no  standing  still;  he  must  push  on  in 
some  direction. 

Mr.  Harley,  being  himself  a  business  soul,  did  not 
omit  to  consider  how  far  Storri  might  be  held  at  bay 
by  showing  him  the  certain  destruction  of  Credit 
Magellan,  should  he  persist  to  the  bitter  length  of  for 
gery  charges  and  open  war.  Mr.  Harley  might  be 
disgraced,  destroyed;  but  what  then?  Storri's  plans 
would  assuredly  be  trampled  flat ;  millions,  about  to 
come  into  his  hands,  would  be  swept  away. 

These,  as  arguments  to  be  addressed  to  Storri,  no 
sooner  entered  the  mind  of  Mr.  Harley  than  he  dis 
missed  them  as  offering  no  solution  of  his  perils.  He 
had  felt,  rather  than  seen,  the  barbarism  of  Storri  be 
neath  the  tissue  of  what  that  nobleman  would  have  styled 
his  elegant  refinement.  Storri  was  a  coward,  and  there 
fore  Storri  was  malignant ;  he  had  shown,  as  he  went 
promising  disgrace  to  Mr.  Harley,  that  petulance  of 
evil  which  is  remarked  in  savages  and  cruel  children. 


246  THE  PRESIDENT 

Storri  was  dominated  of  a  passion  for  revenge;  under 
sway  of  that  passion  no  chance  of  money-loss  woula 
stay  him;  he  would  sacrifice  all  and  begin  his  schemes 
anew  before  he  would  deny  himself  those  vainglorious 
triumphs  upon  which  he  had  set  his  heart.  He  hated 
Richard;  he  hungered  for  Dorothy;  and  Mr.  Harley 
knew  how  he  would  go  to  every  extravagant  extent  in 
feeding  those  two  sentiments. 

Mr.  Harley  sighed  dismally  as  he  reviewed  these  con 
clusions;  he  could  do  nothing,  and  must  serve,  or  seem 
to  serve,  the  villain  humor  of  Storri.  What  were  those 
two  demands  ?  Storri  must  meet  Dorothy ;  and  Richard 
must  not.  There  was  no  help;  Mr.  Harley,  in  his 
present  stress,  would  see  Dorothy  and  beg  her  co-opera 
tion.  He  could  not  tell  the  whole  story ;  but  he  would 
say  that  he  was  borne  upon  by  trouble,  and  ask  her 
to  acquiesce  in  Storri's  conditions.  He  would  promise 
that  those  conditions  were  not  to  live  forever. 

Deciding  thus,  Mr.  Harley  went  forward  on  his 
homeward  course;  he  must  see  Dorothy  without  delay, 
for  he  would  be  upon  the  rack  until  the  painful  con 
ference  was  over.  The  night  was  chill  as  New  Year's 
nights  have  a  right  to  be,  and  yet  Mr.  Harley  was  fain 
to  mop  his  forehead  as  though  it  were  the  Dog  days. 
As  he  neared  his  own  door,  his  reluctant  pace  became 
as  alow  as  sick  men  find  the  flight  of  time. 

There  had  come  no  one  to  the  Harley  house  this 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  247 

New  Year's  evening  to  engage  the  polite  attentions  of 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  and  that  lady,  being  armored  to 
the  teeth,  in  the  name  of  comfort  had  retired  to  her 
own  apartments  with  a  purpose  to  unloose  what  buttons 
and  remove  what  pins  and  untie  what  strings  stood 
between  her  and  a  great  bodily  relief.  Dorothy  was 
of  neither  the  size  nor  the  years  at  which  women  torture 
themselves,  and,  having  no  quarrel  with  her  buttons 
and  pins  and  strings,  sat  alone  in  the  library.  She 
was  deep  in  a  novel  that  reeled  with  ardent  love,  and 
had  fallen  to  despising  the  lover  because  he  did  not 
resemble  Richard. 

It  was  in  the  library  that  Mr.  Harley  came  seeking 
Dorothy.  When  he  found  her,  he  stood  stock-still, 
unable  to  speak  one  word  of  all  that  tide  of  talk  which 
would  be  necessary  to  bring  before  her  his  dangerous 
perplexities  and  the  one  manner  of  their  possible  relief. 

Dorothy  at  his  step  looked  up,  pleased  to  have  him 
home  so  early.  She  was  about  to  say  as  much,  but  at 
sight  of  him  the  words  peri&hed  on  her  tongue.  It  was 
as  though  her  heart  were  touched  with  ice.  Mr.  Har- 
ley's  countenance  had  been  of  that  quasi  claret  hue 
called  rubicund.  It  was  now  turned  gray  and  pasty,  and 
his  cheeks,  as  firmly  round  as  those  of  a  trumpeter, 
were  pouched  and  fallen  as  with  the  palsy  of  age. 
He  looked  ten  years  worse  than  when  he  went  forth 
two  hours  before. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

Dorothy  sprang  up  in  alarm ;  she  feared  that  he  was 
ill. 

"  Let  me  call  mamma !  "  she  cried ;  "  let  me  call  Uncle 
Pat !  You  are  sick." 

"  No ;  call  nobody !  "  said  Mr.  Harley  feebly,  and 
speaking  with  difficulty.  "  Pm  not  ill ;  I'll  be  right 
in  a  moment."  Then  he  had  Dorothy  back  into  her 
chair,  gazing  upon  her  the  while  in  a  stricken  way,  as 
though  she  were  hangman  or  headsman,  and  he  before 
her  for  execution.  Mr.  Harley  was  held  between  ter 
ror  of  Storri  and  shame  for  what  he  must  say  to 
Dorothy.  Wondering  what  fearful  blow  had  fallen 
upon  them,  Dorothy  sat  facing  her  father  the  color  of 
death. 

"  Tell  me,  papa,"  she  whispered,  with  a  terror  in  her 
tones,  "  tell  me  what  has  happened." 

Despair  brought  a  sickly  calmness  to  Mr.  Harley ; 
he  cleared  his  mind  with  a  struggle  and  controlled  him 
self  to  speak.  He  would  say  all  at  once,  and  leave  the 
rest  with  Dorothy. 

"  Dorothy,"  he  began,  the  iron  effort  he  was  making 
being  plainly  apparent,  "  Dorothy,  I  have  had  a  talk 
with  that  scoundrel  without  a  conscience,  Count  Storri. 
I  do  not  pretend  that  I  come  willingly  to  you  from  him. 
I  tell  you,  however,  that  I  am  fearfully  within  that  vil 
lain's  power,  and  cannot  help  myself.  No,  I've  done 
no  crime;  but  none  the  less  he  has  it  in  his  hands  to 


MR.  HARLEY  A  FORGER  249 

cover  me  with  disgrace — destroy  me,  and  every  sign  of 
me,  from  the  midst  of  respectable  men.  It  would  avail 
nothing  should  I  show  you  how  he  spread  a  snare  for 
my  feet,  and  how  blindly  I  walked  into  it.  I  can  only 
say  again  that  he  has  me  helpless,  hand  and  foot ; 
I  am  his  to  make  or  break  in  all  that  a  man  of  honor  or 
station  holds  dearest.  He  can  cover  me  with  infamy 
at  will;  he  can  unloose  upon  me  an  avalanche  of  dis 
grace,  and  with  the  one  blow  crush  us  all.  I  keep  back 
nothing,  exaggerate  nothing,  I  merely  lay  bare  to  you 
what  is.  Once  the  stroke  falls,  I  shall  never  again 
hold  up  my  head.  Indeed,  I  shall  not  live  to  see  it  fall, 
for  when  I  know  it  is  inevitable  I  shall  take  my  own 
life." 

Mr.  Harley  paused  a  moment  to  recall  his  coolness, 
while  Dorothy,  her  little  hands  crushed  between  her 
knees,  sat  panting  like  a  spent  hare. 

"  I  have  given  you  my  precise  position,"  continued 
Mr.  Harley,  with  a  sort  of  hopelessness.  "  I  shall  now 
tell  you  the  conditions  upon  which  my  safety  depends. 
They  rest  with  you;  I  stand  or  fall  as  you  decide." 
Dorothy  tried  to  speak,  but  her  voice  died  on  her 
lips.  "  If  you  receive  Count  Storri,  not  as  a  lover,  but 
as  an  acquaintance,  or,  if  you  will,  a  friend ;  and  if  you 
have  no  further  meeting — that  is,  for  a  month — or 
perhaps  two — or  at  the  most  three — have  no  further 
interviews,  I  say  ?V— Mr,  Harley  blundered  a  trifle  as 


250  THE  PRESIDENT 

he  saw  Dorothy's  face  whitening  with  the  sorrows  he 
was  laying  upon  her — "  have  no  further  interviews  with 
Mr.  Storms,  I  am  saved.  Forgive  me — forgive  your 
father  who  has  so  failed  of  his  duty  that,  instead 
of  protecting  you,  he  comes  to  you  for  protection. 
There  is  no  more:  You  have  my  fortune,  my  good 
repute,  my  life  in  your  charge.  If  you  meet  Count 
Storri  in  friendship,  if  you  refuse  Mr.  Storms,  I  am 
secure.  Should  you  fail  of  either,  then,  by  heart  and 
soul !  I  think  it  is  my  end !  " 


CHAPTER  XII 

HOW  ME.    FOPIJNG  WAS   INSPIRED 

NEXT  to  Richard,  Dorothy  worshiped  her 
father.  Women  never  weigh  men  closely; 
with  .them  it  is  the  kindness  of  men  that 
counts,  and  all  her  life  no  one  could  have  been  more 
generously  affectionate  than  was  Mr.  Harley  to  Doro 
thy.  And  now  her  estimate  of  him  became  her  memory 
of  his  unflagging  goodness;  and  this  kept  her  from 
harsh  judgment  as  he  told  what  heartbreaking  sacri 
fices  she  must  make.  Nor  did  she  distrust  a  syllable; 
nor  would  she  ask  for  explanation.  The  latter  she 
would  avoid ;  it  was  enough  that  Storri  held  her  father 
at  his  horrid  mercy.  As  against  the  setting  forth  in 
detail  of  Storri's  cruel  power  she  instinctively  closed 
her  ears  as  she  would  have  shut  her  eyes  against  a  fear 
some  sight.  Dorothy  had  never  a  question;  and  when 
Mr.  Harley  was  done  she  seemed  simply  to  bow  to  the 
will  of  events  too  strong  for  her  to  cope  with. 

'*  But  you  must  never  ask  me  to  marry  that  man ! " 
cried  Dorothy.  There  went  a  tremor  through  her 
words  that  marked  how  deep  of  root  was  the  feeling 

that  prompted   them.     "  I   couldn't,   wouldn't   marry 

251 


THE  PRESIDENT 

him!  Before  that,  I  would  die — yes,  and  die  again! 
You  must  not  ask  it !  "  and  she  lifted  up  her  face,  all 
wrung  with  pain  and  anxious  terror. 

"  I  shall  never  ask  it !  "  declared  Mr.  Harley ;  and  he 
spoke  stoutly,  for  the  worst  was  over  and  his  heart  was 
coming  back.  This  gave  Dorothy  a  better  confidence, 
and  she  began  to  hope  that  things  in  the  end  might 
come  fairer  than  they  threatened.  "  No,"  repeated 
Mr.  Harley  with  even  greater  courage,  and  smoothing 
her  black,  thick  hair  in  a  fatherly  way,  "  you  shall 
never  be  asked  to  marry  the  scoundrel.  That  I  promise ; 
and  let  him  do  his  worst." 

And  now,  when  both  were  measurably  recovered  from 
the  shame  and  the  shock  of  it,  Mr.  Harley  began  to 
elaborate.  He  went  no  further,  however,  than  just  to 
point  out  how  nothing  was  really  required  of  Dorothy 
beyond  those  common  courtesies  good  women  exhibit  to 
what  men  the  respectable  chances  of  existence  bring  into 
their  society.  He  said  nothing,  asked  nothing  concern 
ing  her  love  for  Richard :  he  appeared  to  consider  that 
love  admitted,  and  found  no  fault  with  it.  What  he 
impressed  upon  Dorothy  was  the  present  danger 
of  her  love's  display,  and  how  his  safety  rested  upon 
her  not  meeting  with  Richard  for  a  space.  Surely 
that  might  be  borne;  it  would  not  be  for  long.  Given 
Toom  wherein  to  work,  he,  Mr.  Harley,  would  find  some 
pathway  out.  Also,  it  would  be  unwise  to  say  aught 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     253 

of  what  had  taken  place  to  Dorothy's  mother.  Mr. 
Harley  and  Dorothy  would  keep  it  secret  from  both 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  Senator  Hanway.  Storri 
would  not  broach  the  subject  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley; 
he  could  not  without  revealing  more  than  he  desired 
known. 

"  Nor  will  the  rascal  do  more,"  observed  Mr.  Harley, 
with  the  hope  of  adding  to  the  fortitude  of  Dorothy, 
"  than  come  here  now  and  then  to  dine  or  sit  an  hour. 
That  is  all  he  will'count  upon ;  and  before  he  seeks  any 
thing  nearer  I'll  have  him  under  my  foot  as  now  he  has 
me  under  his.  When  that  hour  comes,"  concluded  Mr. 
Harley,  rapping  out  a  sudden  great  oath  that  made 
Dorothy  start  in  her  frock,  "  there  will  be  no  saving 
limits  in  his  favor.  I'll  apply  the  torch,  and  burn  him 
like  so  much  refuse  off  the  earth." 

When  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  endeavored  to  break 
Dorothy  to  the  yoke  of  her  ambitions  concerning  Storri, 
Dorothy  sparkled  and  blazed  and  wept  and  did  those 
divers  warlike  things  that  ladies  do  when  engaged 
in  conflict  with  each  other.  Dorothy,  down  in  her 
heart,  attached  no  more  than  a  surface  importance  to 
the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley ;  and  that  was  the 
reason  why  on  those  fierce  occasions  she  only  sparkled 
and  blazed  and  wept.  Now,  be  it  known,  what  Mr. 
Harley  told  her  seared  like  hot  iron ;  what  he  asked  of 
kindness  to  Storri  and  cruelty  to  Richard  cut  like  a 


THE  PKESIDENT 

knife;  and  yet  there  was  never  tear  nor  spark  to  show 
throughout.  She  waited  cold  and  white  and  steady. 
Dorothy  was  convinced  of  her  father's  danger  without 
knowing  its  cause  or  what  form  it  might  take ;  and  she 
filled  up  with  a  resolution  to  do  whatever  she  could, 
saving  only  the  acceptance  of  Storri  and  his  love,  to 
buckler  him  against  it.  Nor  was  this  difference  which 
Dorothy  made  between  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  Mr. 
Harley  to  be  marveled  at;  for  just  as  a  mother  exerts 
more  influence  over  a  son  than  would  his  father,  so  will 
a  father  have  weight  with  a  daughter  beyond  any  that 
her  mother  might  possess. 

While  Dorothy  remained  firm  and  brave  as  Mr.  Har 
ley  revealed  his  troubles  and  their  remedy,  she  broke 
down  later  when  she  found  herself  in  her  own  room. 
She  did  not  call  her  maid;  she  must  be  alone.  What 
had  transpired  began  to  come  over  her  in  such  slow 
fashion  that  she  was  given  time  to  fully  feel  the  ignoble 
position  into  which  she  had  fallen.  She  must  not  see 
the  man  whom  she  adored ;  she  must  meet — -with  polite^ 
ness  even  if  she  could  not  with  grace- — the  man  whom 
she  loathed.  To  one  of  Dorothy's  spirit  and  fineness 
there  dwelt  in  this  an  infamy,  a  baseness,  of  which  Mr. 
Harley  with  his  lucky  coarseness  of  fiber  escaped  all 
notice. 

Throwing  herself  on  the  bed,  Dorothy  burrowed  her 
face  in  the  pillow  and  gave  her  tears  their  way.  It  was 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     255 

the  happiest  impulse  she  could  have  had ;  when  the  tears 
were  dried,  and  in  the  calm  of  that  relief  which  was 
their  afterglow,  she  considered  what  she  had  to  do. 
Oh !  if  only  she  might  have  sought  her  mother  with  her 
sorrow!  Dorothy  shivered;  her  mother  was  the  ally 
of  her  enemy.  How  Dorothy  hated  and  feared  that 
black  and  savage  man!  What  fiend's  power  must  he 
possess  to  thus  gain  a  fearful  mastery  over  her  father ! 
What  could  be  his  secret  tipped  with  terror?  Dorothy 
again  buried  her  face  as  though  she  would  hide  herself 
from  any  blasting  chance  of  its  discovery. 

When  Dorothy  was  with  Mr.  Harley  she  had  been  in 
a  maze,  a  whirl.  Wrapped  in  a  cloud  of  fear,  she  had 
reached  out  blindly  through  the  awful  fog  of  it  and 
seized  upon  the  dear  fact  of  Richard.  By  Richard  she 
held  on;  by  Richard  she  sustained  herself.  She  enter 
tained  no  quaking  doubts  as  to  his  loyalty;  loyal  her 
self,  as  ever  was  flower  to  sun,  to  distrust  Richard  was 
to  doubt  the  ground  beneath  her  little  feet.  In  her 
innocence,  she  felt  that  sublime  confidence  which  is  the 
fruit,  the  sweet  purpose,  of  a  young  girl's  earliest  love. 
Dorothy  must  write  Richard  a  letter ;  she  must  tell  him 
of  the  sad  gap  in  their  happiness.  Yes ;  she  would  put 
him  in  possession  of  the  entire  story  so  far  as  it  was 
known  to  her.  He  owned  a  right  to  hear  it.  Must  his 
heart  be  broken,  and  he  not  learn  the  secret  or  know 
the  author  of  the  blow? 


256  THE  PRESIDENT 

When  Dorothy  was  again  mistress  of  herself,  between 
sobs  and  tender  showers  she  blotted  down  those  words 
which  were  to  warn  Richard  from  her  side.  His  love, 
like  her  own,  would  go  on;  there  was  to  be  no  final 
breaking  away.  It  was  faith  in  a  dear  day  that  should 
find  them  reunited  which  upheld  Dorothy  through  the 
ordeal  of  her  letter ;  her  prayer  was  that  the  day  might 
be  close  at  hand. 

Her  letter  finished,  Dorothy,  late  as  was  the  hour, 
sent  for  Bess ;  she  must  have  someone's  love,  someone's 
sympathy  to  lean  upon.  Bess  came;  and,  saying  no 
more  than  she  was  driven  to  reveal  of  her  father's  help 
lessness  and  Storri's  baleful  strength,  Dorothy  told  Bess 
what  dolorous  fate  had  overtaken  her. 

"  I've  written  Richard  to  go  to  you,  Bess,"  whis 
pered  Dorothy  at  the  woeful  close.  "  Have  him  write 
me  a  letter  every  day ;  I  shall  write  one  to  him.  I 
didn't  promise  not  to  write,  you  know,  only  not  to  see 
him.  But  you  must  not  let  Richard  go  to  Storri,  that 
above  all.  Poor  Richard!  he  is  very  fierce;  and  if  he 
were  to  arouse  Storri's  anger  it  would  provoke  him  to 
some  awful  step." 

There  was  a  man  of  robust  curiosity  who  once  sug 
gested  that  it  would  prove  entertaining  if  one  were  to 
lift  the  roofs  off  a  city  as  one  might  the  upper  crust 
off  a  pie,  and  then,  looking  down  into  the  very  bowels 
of  life,  observe  what  plots  and  counterplots,  defeats 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     257 

and  triumphs,  loves  and  hates,  pains  and  pleasures, 
losses  and  gains,  hopes  and  despairs,  honors  and  dis 
graces  belonged  with  the  struggles  of  everyday  hu 
manity.  It  is  by  no  means  sure  the  survey  would  repay 
the  cost  of  making  it,  and  the  chances  run  heavily 
that  the  student  would  gather  more  of  grief  than 
good  from  the  lesson.  Proceeding,  however,  by  the 
hint  of  contradiction  furnished  above,  had  one,  at  the 
moment  when  Storri  was  binding  Mr.  Harley  by  fetters 
wrought  from  the  metal  of  Mr.  Harley's  own  fearful 
apprehensions,  glanced  in  upon  Richard,  he  would  have 
found  that  worthy  young  gentleman  seated  by  his  fire 
side,  soothing  himself  with  tobacco  smoke,  and  reveling 
in  thoughts  of  Dorothy.  And  the  cogitations  of  Rich 
ard,  if  written  down  in  words,  would  have  read  like 
this: 

"  Why  should  I  defer  a  denouement  that  will  rejoice 
them  all?  Dorothy  loves  me — loves  me  for  myself,  and 
for  nothing  but  myself.  Who  could  have  offered  deeper 
proof  of  it?  She  has  come  to  me  in  the  face  of  her 
mother,  in  the  face  of  poverty ;  she  is  willing  to  abandon 
everything  to  become  my  wife.  And  if  her  mother 
objects — as  she  does  object — why  not  cure  the  objec 
tion  with  a  trifle  of  truth?  I  am  not  seeking  to  make 
a  conquest  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley ;  that  tremendous 
ambition  does  not  claim  me.  I  am  not  to  marry  her. 
What  she  thinks,  or  why  she  thinks  it,  should  not  be 


258  THE  PRESIDENT 

so  important.  It  is  Dorothy  whom  I  love,  Dorothy 
who  is  to  be  my  wife — none  but  Dorothy.  No,  I'll  end 
a  farce  which  no  longer  can  defend  its  own  existence. 
To-morrow  I'll  seek  out  my  intended  mother-in-law,  and 
make  her  happy  in  the  only  way  I  may.  I  trust  the 
good  news  may  not  kill  her !  "  and  Richard  put  on  one 
of  those  grins  of  cynicism. 

In  this  frame,  Richard  retired  to  bed  and  dreamed 
of  Dorothy.  His  heart  was  enjoying  a  prodigious 
calm ;  he  would  no  longer  play  at  Democritus ;  he  would 
fill  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  soul  with  radiance,  restrain 
to  what  extent  he  might  his  contempt  for  that  radiance 
and  the  reason  of  it,  and  with  Dorothy  on  his  arm 
march  away  to  bliss  forever  after.  No,  he  would  not 
have  Dorothy  to  the  altar  within  the  moment  following 
the  enthronement  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  in  the  midst 
of  that  splendid  happiness  he  plotted  for  her.  He  was 
not  so  precipitate.  Dorothy  should  have  a  voice  and 
a  will  in  fixing  her  marriage  day ;  most  young  women 
had.  But  he  would  advise  expedition— nay,  ho  would 
pray  for  speed  in  the  matter  of  that  wedlock ;  for  every 
hour  that  barred  him  from  his  loved  one's  arms  would 
seem  an  age. 

Thus  dreamed  Richard.  And  in  the  irony  of  fate, 
even  while  Richard  was  coming  to  these  sage,  not  to 
say  delicious,  decisions  and  giving  himself  to  these 
dreams,  Storri  was  raving,  Mr.  Harley  was  cowering, 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     259 

and  Dorothy  was  weeping  and  writing  that  they  must 
not  meet. 

When  Richard  arose  in  the  morning,  the  first  object 
his  fond  eye  caught  was  that  dear  hand-write  sprawling 
all  across  the  envelope :  "  Mr.  Richard  Storms."  He 
tore  it  open,  and  this  is  what  he  read: 

DEAB  ONE : 

As  I  write,  my  heart  is  breaking  for  us  both.  If  I 
knew  how,  I  would  soften  what  I  must  say.  Storri  has 
gained  some  fearful  ascendency  over  papa.  Never  have 
I  seen  papa  look  so  gray  and  worn  and  old  as  when  he 
came  to  me.  He  tells  me  that  his  safety,  his  life,  de 
pend  on  me.  I  am  not  to  see  you  for  a  while.  He 
says  that  if  we  meet  it  will  mean  his  disgrace — his  de 
struction.  I  can't  explain ;  I  have  only  my  love  for 
you,  sweetheart,  and  you  must  not  fail  me  now.  It 
will  all  come  right,  I  feel  sure  of  that;  only  you  must 
write  me  every  day  how  dear  I  am  to  you,  so  that  I 
shall  have  something  to  help  my  courage  with.  Go  to 
Bess,  and  believe  me  yours  with  all  my  heart's  love. 

D. 

Richard  read  and  re-read  Dorothy's  note.  He  did 
not  ramp  off  into  a  temper;  the  first  effects  of  it  were 
to  drive  the  color  out  of  his  face  and  steal  away  his 
appetite.  His  eye  grew  moody,  and  in  the  end  angry. 
Some  flame  of  wrath  was  kindled  against  poor  Dorothy, 
who  was  so  ready — that  is  the  way  he  put  it  to  himself 
— to  sacrifice  him  in  defense  of  her  father.  But  the 


260  THE  PRESIDENT 

flame  went  out,  and  never  attained  either  height  or  in 
tensity  as  a  flame  of  repute  and  standing  among  flames. 
Richard  was  too  normal,  too  healthy,  too  much  in  love. 
Besides,  Dorothy's  note  was  warped  and  polka-dotted 
with  small  round  scars  where  her  poor  tears  had  fallen 
as  she  wrote ;  and  with  that  the  flame  of  anger  was 
quenched  by  the  mere  sight  of  those  tear-scars;  and 
Richard  kissed  them  one  by  one — the  tear-scars — and 
found,  when  he  had  kissed  the  last  one  and  then  kissed  it 
again  for  love  and  for  luck,  that  he  worshiped  Dorothy 
the  more  for  being  in  trouble.  And  now  Richard  felt 
a  vast  yearning  over  her  as  though  she  were  a  child. 
Had  she  not  fought  a  gallant  war  with  her  mother  for 
love  of  him?  Richard  was  all  but  swept  away  on  a 
very  tide  of  tenderness.  He  would  comply  with  Doro 
thy's  requests ;  he  would  not  press  to  see  her ;  he  would 
write  her  every  day ;  he  would  love  her  more  passionately 
than  before.  Incidentally,  he  would  go  questing  Bess. 
Richard  did  not  permit  himself  to  dwell  upon  Storri. 
He  knew  him  for  the  source  of  all  this  poison  in  his 
cup.  In  his  then  temper,  he  put  Storri  out  of  his 
thought.  He  feared  that  if  he  considered  that  Russian 
too  long  he  would  be  drawn  into  some  indiscretion  that, 
while  curing  nothing,  might  pull  down  upon  Mr.  Har- 
ley,  and  in  that  way  upon  Dorothy,  the  catastrophe 
that  hung  over  their  heads.  There  could  be  no  doubt 
of  the  black  measure  of  that  catastrophe,  whatever  it 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     261 

might  be.  Richard,  while  no  mighty  admirer  of  Mr. 
Harley,  had  been  enough  in  that  gentleman's  company 
to  realize  that  it  was  more  than  a  common  apprehension 
which  had  sent  him,  limp  and  fear-shaken,  to  Dorothy 
begging  for  defense.  The  longer  Richard  pondered,  the 
clearer  the  truth  grew  that  some  deadly  chance  was 
pending  against  Mr.  Harley,  and  that  Storri  held  the 
key  which  might  unlock  that  chance  against  him.  Until 
he  understood  the  trend  of  affairs,  a  hostile  collision 
with  Storri  would  be  the  likeliest  method  by  which 
disaster  might  be  invoked.  He  must  avoid  Storri. 
This  prudence  on  Richard's  part  went  tremendously 
against  the  grain,  for  he  was  full  of  stalwart,  primitive 
impulses  that  moved  him  to  find  Storri  by  every  shortest 
cut  and  beat  him  to  rags.  He  must  keep  away  from 
Storri.  Also,  he  would  defer  those  revelations  to  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  which  were  to  have  filled  her  soul  with 
that  radiance  and  made  her  as  ready  for  Dorothy's 
marriage  with  Richard  as  was  Richard  himself.  Those 
confidences  could  not  aid  now  when  it  was  Storri,  not 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  who  stood  in  the  way.  And 
they  might  even  work  a  harm.  Richard  went  on  his 
road  to  Bess,  while  these  thoughts  came  flying  thick  as 
twilight  bats. 

Richard  found  the  blonde  sorceress  bending  above 
a  flower,  and  doing  something  to  the  flower's  ad 
vantage  with  a  pair  of  scissors.  As  Bess  hung  over 


THE  PRESIDENT 

the  leafy  object  of  her  solicitude,  with  her  yellow 
wealth  of  hair  coiled  round  and  round,  she  her 
self  looked  not  unlike  a  graceful,  gaudy  chrysanthe 
mum.  This  poetic  reflection,  which  would  have  been 
creditable  to  Mr.  Fopling,  never  occurred  to  Richard ; 
he  was  too  full  of  Dorothy  to  have  room  for  Bess. 
However,  the  good  Bess  found  no  fault  with  his  loving 
preoccupation ;  she,  too,  was  pensively  thinking  on  poor 
Dorothy,  and  at  once  abandoned  the  invalid  flower  to 
console  and  counsel  Richard. 

"  For  you  see,"  quoth  Bess,  as  though  a  call  had 
been  made  for  the  reason  of  her  interest  in  another's 
love  troubles,  "  I  feel  responsible  for  Dorothy.  It  was 
I  who  told  you  to  love  her." 

This  was  not  quite  true,  and  gave  too  much  blame 
or  credit — whichever  you  will — to  Bess ;  but  Richard 
made  no  objections,  and  permitted  Bess  to  define  her 
position  as  best  pleased  her. 

Bess  laid  out  Richard's  programme  as  though  she 
were  his  mother  or  his  guardian ;  she  told  him  what  his 
conduct  should  be.  He  must  write  Dorothy  a  daily 
letter;  there  ought  to  be  a  world  of  love  in  it,  Bess 
thought,  in  view  of  those  conditions  of  present  distress 
which  surrounded  Dorothy. 

"  Her  lot,"  observed  Bess,  "  is  much  harder  than 
yours,  you  know !  " 

Richard,  being  selfish,  did  not  know ;  but  he  was  for 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     263 

no  dispute  with  Bess  and  kept  his  want  of  knowledge 
to  himself.  Yes;  Richard  was  to  write  Dorothy  every 
day ;  and  she,  for  her  sweet  part,  was  likewise  to  write 
Richard  every  day.  The  good  Bess,  like  an  angel 
turned  postman,  would  manage  the  exchange  of  tender 
missives. 

Bess  said  nothing  about  Storri's  coming  visits  to  the 
Harley  house  or  that  he  would  insist  on  seeing  Doro 
thy.  She  and  Dorothy  had  been  of  one  mind  on  that 
point  of  ticklish  diplomacy.  The  bare  notion  of 
Storri  meeting  Dorothy  would  send  the  fiery  lover  into 
a  fury  whereof  the  end  could  be  only  feared,  not 
guessed.  Richard  was  to  be  told  nothing  beyond  the 
present  impossibility  of  meeting  Dorothy. 

"  And  most  of  all,"  said  Bess  to  Richard  warningly, 
"  you  are  not  to  involve  yourself  with  Storri.  Remem 
ber,  should  you  and  he  have  differences  upon  which  the 
gossips  can  take  hold,  there  will  be  a  perfect  scandal,  and 
Dorothy  the  central  figure." 

Richard  was  horrified  at  Bess's  picture. 

"  And  so,"  concluded  Bess,  "  you  must  do  exactly  as 
Dorothy  requests.  Have  a  little  patience  and  a  deal 
of  love,  and  the  cloud,  be  sure,  will  pass  away." 

"  While  I  am  having  patience  and  love,  I  would  give 
my  left  hand  if  I  might  bring  that  cobra  Storri  to 
account,"  said  Richard. 

What  was  written  concerning  the  mouths  of  babes 


264  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  sucklings?  Mr.  Fopling  sat  with  Bess  and  Rich 
ard  while  they  considered  those  above-related  ways 
and  means  of  interrupted  love.  Mr.  Fopling  was 
experiencing  an  uncommon  elevation  of  spirits ;  for 
he  had  stared  Ajax  out  of  countenance — a  nota 
ble  feat — and  sent  the  rival  favorite  growling  and 
bristling  from  the  room.  Usually  Mr.  Fopling  took 
no  part  in  what  conversations  raged  around  him ;  it  was 
the  reason  of  some  surprise,  therefore,  to  both  Bess  and 
Richard  when,  at  the  mention  of  Storri's  name,  Mr. 
Fopling's  ears  pricked  up  a  flicker  of  interest  and  he 
betrayed  symptoms  of  being  about  to  speak. 

"  Stow-wy ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Fopling  thoughtfully, 
as  though  identifying  that  nobleman,  while  Bess  and 
Richard  looked  on  as  do  folk  who  behold  a  miracle, 
"  Stow-wy !  I  say,  Stawms,  why  don't  you  go  into 
Wall  Stweet  and  bweak  the  beggah?  He's  always 
gambling,  don't  y'  know !  Bweak  him ;  that's  the  way 
to  punish  such  a  fellah." 

"  Why !  what  a  malicious  soul  you  have  grown !  " 
cried  Bess  in  astonishment.  "  Really,  Algy," — Mr. 
Fopling's  name  was  Algernon, — "  if  you  burst  on  us  in 
this  guise  often,  I  for  one  shall  stand  in  terror  of 
you!" 

"  But,  weally,"  protested  Mr.  Fopling,  "  if  you  want 
to  get  even  with  a  fellah,  Bess,  just  bweak  him!  It's 
simply  awful,  they  say,  for  a  chap  to  be  bwoke.  As 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     265 

for  this  Stow-wy,  if  Stawms  hasn't  got  the  money  to  go 
aftah  him,  I'll  let  him  have  some  of  mine.  You  see, 
Bess,"  concluded  Mr.  Fopling,  with  a  broad  candor 
that  proved  his  love,  "  I  hate  this  cweature  Stow-wy." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  Richard,  somewhat  interested  in  his 
unexpected  ally. 

"  He  spoke  dewisively  of  me,"  and  with  that  Mr. 
Fopling  lapsed. 

Richard  went  slowly  homeward,  his  chin  on  his  chest, 
not  in  discouragement,  but  thought.  The  counsel  of 
the  vacuous  Mr.  Fopling  followed  him  to  ring  in  his 
ears  like  words  of  guidance. 

"  Bweak  him !  "  squeaked  Mr.  Fopling,  feebly  vicious. 

Since  Mr.  Fopling  had  never  been  known  to  think 
anything  or  say  anything  anterior  to  this  singular  out 
burst,  the  conclusion  forced  itself  upon  Richard  that 
Mr.  Fopling  was  inspired.  Nor  could  Richard  put 
Mr.  Fopling  and  his  violent  advice  out  of  his 
head. 

"  Money  is  the  villain's  heart's-blood ! "  thought 
Richard.  "  I'm  inclined  to  conclude  that  Fopling  is 
right.  If  I  take  his  money  from  him,  he  is  helpless — a 
viper  without  its  fangs,  a  bear  with  its  back  broken !  " 

Richard  put  in  that  evening  in  his  own  apartments. 
Had  you  been  there  to  watch  his  face,  you  would  have 
been  struck  by  the  capacity  for  hate  and  love  and 
thought  displayed  in  the  lowering  brow  and  brooding 


266  THE  PRESIDENT 

eye.  Richard  smoked  and  considered;  at  eight  o'clock 
he  rang  for  Mr.  Gwynn. 

That  precise  gentleman  of  stiffness  and  English  im 
mobility  appeared,  clothed  in  extreme  evening  dress, 
and  established  himself,  ramrod-like,  in  a  customary 
spot  in  the  center  of  the  floor.  There  was  a  figure  on  the 
Persian  rug  whereon  Mr.  Gwynn  never  failed  to  take 
position.  Once  in  place,  eye  as  expressionless  as  the 
eye  of  a  fish,  Mr.  Gwynn  would  wait  in  dead  silence  for 
Richard  to  speak. 

Mr.  Gwynn  had  occupied  his  wonted  spot  on  the  rug 
two  minutes  before  Richard  came  out  of  his  reverie. 
Turning  to  Mr.  Gwynn,  he  addressed  him  through 
murky  wreaths. 

"  I  shall  go  to  New  York  to-morrow." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn,  and  his  back 
creaked  in  just  the  specter  of  a  bow. 

"  When  are  the  President  and  General  Attorney  of 
the  Anaconda  to  be  here?  " 

"  Tuesday,  sir ;  the  eighth  of  the  month." 

"  I  shall  return  before  that  time." 

"  Very  good,  sir !  "  and  Mr.  Gwynn  again  approved 
the  utterances  of  Richard  with  a  creaky  mandarin  in 
clination  of  the  head  and  shoulders. 

"  They  will  arrive  on  the  eighth.  Say  to  them  that 
they  must  remain  until  the  fifteenth,  one  week.  On 
Thursday — the  tenth — you  will  give-  a  dinner  in  honor 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     267 

of  Senator  Hanway ;  it  is  to  be  fifty  covers.  The  Ana 
conda  people  will  come.  I'll  furnish  you  the  completed 
list  of  guests  when  I  get  back." 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

"  You  may  go." 

"  Yes,  sir ;  you  are  very  kind,  sir ;  "  and  the  austere 
Mr.  Gwynn  creaked  himself  out. 

Richard  was  left  with  his  thoughts,  while  the  silent 
Matzai,  who  had  heard  the  word  New  York,  began 
packing  what  trunks  were  needed  for  the  journey. 

Storri  was  ruthlessly  eager  to  get  some  taste  of  his 
great  triumph,  and  came  that  same  evening  to  the 
Harley  house.  Senator  Hanway  had  been  detained  by 
a  night  session,  and  the  quartette — Dorothy,  Mr.  Har 
ley,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  and  Storri — sat  together  at 
dinner.  Dorothy,  pale  and  still  and  chill,  was  like  a 
girlish  image  made  of  snow.  There  was  a  queer  look 
of  fright  and  shame  and  horror  all  in  one  about  her 
virgin  eyes.  How  she  got  through  the  dinner  she  could 
not  have  told,  and  only  Pier  love  for  her  father  held 
her  up. 

Mr.  Harley  was  in  no  livelier  case;  and,  albeit  he 
drank  much  more  than  usual,  the  wine  put  no  color  in 
his  muddy  cheek  nor  did  it  cure  its  flabbiness.  To  sit 
at  his  own  table  and  tremble  before  his  own  guest  might 
have  wasted  the  spirits  of  even  a  hardier  man  than  Mr. 
Harley. 


268  THE  PRESIDENT 

Dorothy  was  in  agony — a  kind  of  despair  of  shame, 
eating  nothing,  saying  less,  and  this  attracted  the  shal 
low  attention  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  What  makes  you  so  gloomy,  Dorothy  ?  "  she  asked. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  in  most  cheerful  feather.  A 
nobleman  at  her  table,  and  though  for  the  fortieth 
time,  was  ever  fresh  and  delightful  to  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley.  "  You  are  not  ill?  "  Then,  with  arch  polite 
ness  to  Storri :  "  She  has  been  out  of  sorts  all  day, 
Count,  and  given  us  all  the  blues.  I  was  delighted  when 
you  came  in  to  cheer  us  up." 

"  It  is  to  my  great  honor,  madam,"  responded  Storri, 
smiling  and  fixing  Dorothy  with  that  beady  glance 
which  serpents  keep  for  what  linnets  they  mean  to  fas 
cinate  and  swallow,  "  it  is  to  my  great  honor,  madam, 
that  you  say  so.  I  shall  tell  my  Czar  of  your  charming 
goodness  to  his  Storri.  If  I  might  only  think  that  the 
bewitching  Miss  Dorothy  was  also  glad,  I  should  be  in 
heaven!  Truly,  it  would  make  a  paradise;  ah,  yes, 
why  not !  " 

As  Storri  threw  off  this  languishing  speech,  Dorothy 
could  feel  his  eyes  like  points  of  hateful  fire  piercing 
her  satirically.  It  taught  her  vaguely,  even  through 
the  torture  her  soul  was  undergoing,  that  composite 
sentiment  of  passion  and  cruelty  felt  for  her  by  this 
Tartar  in  evening  dress  who  mixed  sneer  with  compli 
ment  in  all  he  said.  Dorothy  could  have  shrieked  out 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     269 

in  the  mere  torment  of  it,  and  only  the  sight  of  Mr. 
Harley,  broken  and  hopeless  and  helpless  and  old,  gave 
her  strength  and  courage  to  refrain. 

Storri  departed  on  the  heels  of  dinner  to  the  pro 
found  regret  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  who  pressed  him 
to  remain.  The  Russian  was  wise ;  he  must  not  attempt 
too  much.  Dorothy  should  have  respite  for  a  week. 
In  seven  days  he  would  again  take  dinner  with  the  Har- 
leys.  Dorothy  would  have  employed  those  seven  days 
in  thinking  on  the  perils  to  her  father  which  he,  Storri, 
could  launch ;  she  would  have  considered  how  he,  Storri, 
must  be  courted  and  flattered  and  finally  loved  to  insure 
her  father's  safety.  It  was  victory  as  it  stood.  Was 
he  not  compelling  the  proud  Dorothy  to  receive  his 
compliments,  his  glances,  his  sighs,  his  love?  Was  not 
Richard,  the  detestable,  excluded,  and  the  Harley  door 
closed  fast  in  his  face?  Ah!  Storri  would  impress 
upon  these  little  people  the  terrors  of  him  whom  they 
had  affronted !  He  would  cause  them  to  mourn  in  bit 
terness  the  day  they  heard  first  his  name! 

Storri,  in  midswing  of  all  these  comforting  rumina 
tions,  felt  a  light  hand  on  his  arm.  He  was  sauntering 
leisurely  along  the  street  at  the  time,  and  had  not  jour 
neyed  a  block  from  the  Harley  house. 

Storri  started  at  the  touch,  and  wheeled. 

"What!"  he  exclaimed,  "is  it  you,  my  San  Reve? 
And  what  fetched  you  out  so  cold  an  evening?  " 


270  THE  PRESIDENT 

Storri  attempted  a  manner  of  light  and  confident 
assurance.  Somehow,  he  did  not  altogether  attain  it; 
a  sharp  ear  would  have  caught  the  false  note  in  his 
tones  which  told  of  an  uneasiness  he  was  trying  to  con 
ceal. 

That  one  whom  Storri  addressed  as  San  Reve  and 
who,  following  the  touch  that  startled  Storri,  had  taken 
his  arm,  was  a  woman.  In  the  dark  of  the  winter  even 
ing,  nothing  could  be  known  of  her  save  that  she  was 
above  a  middle  height. 

"  Yes ;  it  is  I,  Sara,"  said  the  woman,  in  a  pure  con 
tralto.  "  Come  with  me  to-night,  Storri ;  I  have  not 
seen  you  for  four  days." 

"  We  are  pleasantly  met !  "  cried  Storri,  still  affect 
ing  an  acquiescent  gayety.  "  And  is  it  not  strange? 
I  was  on  my  way  to  your  fond,  sweet  presence,  my  San 
Reve.  Yes,  your  Storri  was  flying  to  you  even  now !  " 

All  of  which  were  lies,  being  leaf  and  stalk  of  that 
uneasiness  which  rang  so  falsely  in  his  voice  and  man 
ner.  Still,  if  Mademoiselle  San  Reve  took  notice  of  his 
insincerity,  she  kept  the  fact  to  herself.  Storri  drew 
her  hand  further  within  his  arm,  and  the  two  walked 
slowly  onward,  while  the  street  lamps  as  they  passed 
merged  and  separated  and  again  merged  and  separated 
their  shadows  as  though  the  pair  were  agreeing  and 
disagreeing  in  endless  alternation. 

Richard,  the  next  day,  departed  for  New  York  as  he 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED     271 

had  planned.  Sending  Matzai  and  his  luggage  to  the 
hotel,  Richard  on  his  arrival  drove  straight  from  the 
station  to  Thirty,  Broad.  He  glanced  at  a  card  as 
he  entered  the  elevator. 

"  Tenth  floor ! "  was  his  word  to  the  resplendent 
functionary  in  gold  and  blue  who  presided  in  the  ele 
vator. 

"  Tenth  floor !  "  cried  the  resplendent  functionary 
in  the  sing-song  of  a  seaman  taking  soundings  and  call 
ing  the  marks,  and  the  elevator  came  to  a  kind  of  bounc 
ing  stop. 

"  Mr.  Bayard?  "  inquired  Richard. 

"  Second  floor  to  th'  left,"  sang  the  blue  and  golden 
one ;  then  the  iron  door  clashed  and  the  cage  flew  on. 

Richard  entered  a  reception  room,  and  from  this 
outer  harbor,  like  a  newly  arrived  ship  sending  up  a 
signal,  he  dispatched  his  card  to  Mr.  Bayard.  Under 
"  Mr.  Richard  Storms  "  he  wrote  the  words,  "  son  of 
the  late  Mr.  Dudley  Storms." 

The  stealthy,  whispering  individual,  who  spoke  with 
a  hiss  and  scrutinized  Richard  as  he  took  his  card  with 
a  jealous  intensity  which  might  have  distinguished  a 
hawk  in  a  state  of  half  alarm  and  whole  suspicion, 
presently  returned.  His  air  was  altered  to  one  of  con 
fidence. 

"  You  are  to  come  in,  please ! "  he  hissed  like  a  re 
spectful  snake. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

It  was  two  hours  later,  five  o'clock,  when  Richard 
emerged  from  that  private  room  of  Mr.  Bayard's. 
Taking  the  carriage  which  had  waited,  he  returned  to 
the  station  and  caught  a  train  for  Washington.  A 
message  went  to  Matzai  notifying  that  Mongol  of  what 
changes  had  been  determined  on  in  the  destinies  of 
himself  and  the  luggage. 

It  was  the  following  morning  at  the  hour  of  eight. 
Richard  called  for  Mr.  Gwynn.  When  that  severe  per 
sonage  had  taken  his  proper  station  on  the  rug,  he  rolled 
his  piscatorial  eye  on  Richard  as  though  inviting  notice. 
The  latter  young  gentleman  was  improving  himself 
with  coffee,  now  and  then  pausing  to  thoughtfully 
glance  over  a  roll  of  names. 

"  What  were  the  last  quotations  on  Anaconda 
stock?  "  demanded  Richard,  still  contemplating  the 
names. 

"  Common,  two  hundred  and  eleven ;  preferred,  two 
hundred  and  seventeen,  sir,"  and  Mr.  Gwynn  creaked 
by  way  of  ending  the  sentence. 

"  Here  are  the  keys  to  my  boxes  in  the  Colonial 
Trust.  Here  also  are  the  names  of  fifty  New  York 
banks.  Please  establish  a  credit  of  two  millions  in  each 
of  them — one  hundred  millions  of  dollars  in  all.  Use 
Anaconda  stock.  Bring  me  certified  checks  for  the  one 
hundred  millions,  with  a  statement  from  each  bank 
showing  what  Anaconda  shares  it  holds  as  security.  I 


HOW  MR.  FOPLING  WAS  INSPIRED 

think  you  understand.  I  want  one  hundred  millions 
instantly  available.  You  will  go  to  New  York  at  once 
and  make  the  arrangements.  Day  after  to-morrow 
meet  me  in  Mr.  Bayard's  rooms,  Thirty,  Broad,  at 
three  o'clock  p.  M.,  with  everything  as  I  have  out 
lined." 

"  Very  good,  sir ;  you  are  very  kind,  sir,"  creaked 
Mr.  Gwynn. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

HOW    THE    SAN    REVE    GAVE    STORRI    WARNING 

HAD  you,  at  the  time  Richard  visited  that 
gentleman,  written  Mr.  Bayard  a  letter, 
you  would  have  addressed  it  to  Mr.  Robert 
Lance  Bayard,  and  anyone  who  saw  you  do  it  would 
have  gazed  in  wonder  and  respect  to  think  you  were 
upon  terms  of  personal  correspondence  with  that  blind 
ing  meteor  of  speculation.  Mr.  Bayard  sat  in  his  rooms 
at  Thirty,  Broad,  like  an  astrologer  in  his  tower  cell; 
he  considered  the  stars  and  cast  the  horoscopes  of  com 
panies.  That  done,  he  took  profitable  advantage  of 
his  prescience. 

In  the  kingdom  of  stocks  Mr.  Bayard's  position  was 
unique.  He,  like  Napoleon,  was  without  a  model  and 
without  a  shadow.  He  constructed  no  corporations, 
shoved  no  companies  from  shore ;  he  stood  at  the  ticker 
and  took  his  money  off  the  tape.  Whenever  he  won  a 
dollar  he  had  risked  a  dollar. 

In  person  Mr.  Bayard  was  slim,  elegant,  thorough 
bred,  with  blood  as  red  and  pure  of  strain  as  the  blood 
of  a  racing  horse.  To  see  him  was  to  realize  the  silk 
and  steel  whereof  he  was  compounded.  There  was  a  van- 

274 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       275 

ity  about  him,  too ;  but  it  was  a  regal  vanit}^  as  though 
a  king  were  vain.  His  brow  was  full  and  grave,  his 
face  dignified,  his  eye  thoughtful,  and  he  knew  men  in 
the  dark  by  feel  of  bark,  as  woodmen  know  a  tree.  He 
stepped  about  with  a  high  carriage  of  the  head,  as 
might  one  who  has  prides  well  founded.  His  health 
was  even,  his  nerves  were  true;  he  owned  a  military 
courage  that  remained  cool  with  victory,  steady  with 
defeat.  It  was  these  which  rendered  Mr.  Bayard  the 
Bourse-force  men  accounted  him,  and  compelled  con 
sideration  even  from  folk  most  powerful  whenever  they 
would  float  an  enterprise  or  foray  a  field  of  stocks. 
Did  Oil  or  Sugar  or  Steel  come  into  the  Street  with 
purpose  of  revenge  or  profit,  its  first  care  was  a  peace- 
treaty  with  Mr.  Ba}rard.  That  was  not  because  Oil  or 
Steel  or  Sugar  loved,  but  because  it  feared  him.  The 
King  might  not  hunt  in  Sherwood  without  permission 
of  Robin  Hood,  nor  Montrose  walk  in  Glenfruin  want 
ing  the  MacGregor's  consent. 

In  his  youth — that  is  to  say,  almost  a  third  of  a  cen 
tury  away — Mr.  Bayard  had  been  of  open,  frank,  and 
generous  impulse.  He  believed  in  humanity  and  relied 
upon  his  friends.  Mr.  Bayard  at  sixty  was  changed 
from  that  pose  of  thirty  years  before.  He  was  cold  and 
distant  and  serene  in  a  cloud-capped  way  of  ice.  He 
trusted  no  one  but  himself,  took  no  man's  word  save  his 
own,  was  self-reliant  to  the  point  of  bitterness,  and  rife 


276  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  proud  suspicions.  Also,  he  had  carried  concealment 
to  the  plane  of  Art,  and  those  who  knew  him  best  were 
most  in  the  dark  concerning  him.  And  yet  Mr.  Bayard 
made  a  specialty  of  verbal  truth,  and  his  word  was  a 
word  of  gold. 

It  was  not  that  Mr.  Bayard  deceived  men,  he  allowed 
them  to  deceive  themselves.  They  watched  and  they 
listened;  and  in  the  last  they  learned,  commonly  at  the 
cost  of  a  gaping  wound  in  their  bank  balances,  that 
what  they  thought  they  saw  they  did  not  see,  and  what 
they  were  sure  they  heard  they  did  not  hear;  that 
from  the  beginning  they  had  been  the  victims  of  self- 
constructed  delusions,  and  were  cast  away  by  errors  all 
their  own.  Once  burned,  twice  wise;  and  the  paradox 
crept  upon  Wall  and  Broad  Streets,  as  mosses  creep 
upon  stones,  that  the  more  one  knew  of  Mr.  Bayard  the 
less  one  was  aware  of.  The  feeling  was  expressed  by 
a  gentleman  rich  in  Exchange  experiences  when  he 
said: 

"  If  I  were  to  meet  him  in  Broadway,  I  wouldn't  be 
lieve  it." 

And  that  experienced  one  spoke  well.  For  as  the 
tiger,  striped  black  and  gold,  is  made  to  match  and 
blend  with  the  sun-slashed  shadows  of  the  jungle 
through  which  he  hunts  his  prey,  so  was  Mr.  Bayard 
invisible  in  that  speculation  whereof  he  crouched  a  most 
formidable  factor,  with  this  to  add  to  the  long-toothed 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       277 

peril  of  it,  that,  although  always  in  sight,  he  was  never 
more  unseen  than  at  the  moment  of  his  spring. 

The  change  from  faith  and  friendship  and  a  genial 
warmth  that  had  taken  place  in  Mr.  Bayard  and  left 
him  their  rock-bound  opposites,  had  its  origin  in  the 
treachery  of  a  friend.  Mr.  Bayard  those  years  before 
was,  in  his  stock  sailing,  beaten  upon  by  a  sudden 
squall  of  treason  and  lying  ingratitude ;  his  nature  was 
capsized,  and  those  softer  and  more  generous  graces 
were  spilled  out.  They  went  to  the  bottom,  as  things 
golden  will ;  and  they  never  came  up.  Mr.  Bayard  was 
betrayed  by  one  who  had  taken  his  hand  in  friendship 
not  the  hour  before — one  who  was  his  partner  in  busi 
ness  and  had  risen  through  his  favor.  Struck  in  the 
dark,  Mr.  Bayard  stood  at  the  ticker  and  watched  his 
fortune  of  eight  millions  bleed  away ;  when  he  dropped 
the  tape  he  was  two  millions  worse  than  bankrupt.  It 
was  that  case-hardening  experience  which  had  worked 
the  callous  metamorphosis. 

"  It  has  taught  me  caution,"  was  all  he  said  as  the 
quotations  chattered  off  the  loss  of  his  last  dollar. 

From  that  hour  of  night  and  wormwood,  Mr.  Bayard 
was  another  individual.  He  gave  men  his  acquaintance, 
but  not  his  faith;  he  listened  and  never  believed;  he 
had  allies,  not  friends,  and  the  limits  of  his  confidence 
in  a  man  were  the  limits  of  that  man's  interest. 

And  yet  in  this  arctic  hardness  there  remained  one 


278  THE  PRESIDENT 

generous  spot.  There  was  one  name  to  retain  a  sweet 
ness  and  a  perfume  for  Mr.  Bayard  that  one  finds  in 
flowers,  and  the  perishing  years  had  not  withered  it  on 
the  hillsides  of  his  regard.  When  Mr.  Bayard  went 
down  on  that  day  of  storm  and  the  dark  waters  of 
defeat  and  bankruptcy  closed  above  him,  there  had  been 
stretched  one  hand  to  save.  Dudley  Storms  was  hardly 
known  to  Mr.  Bayard,  for  the  former  was  of  your 
silent,  retiring  men  whom  no  one  discovers  until  the 
time  of  need.  His  sort  was  evidenced  on  this  occasion. 
He  did  not  send  to  Mr.  Bayard,  he  came.  He  told  him 
by  shortest  possible  sentences  that  his  fortune  was  at 
his,  Mr.  Bayard's,  disposal  to  put  him  again  upon  his 
feet.  And  Mr.  Bayard  availed  himself  of  the  aid  thus 
proffered ;  he  regained  his  feet ;  he  paid  off  his  bank 
ruptcy  of  two  millions ;  he  repaid  Dudley  Storms ;  and 
then  he  went  on — and  no  more  slips  or  treason-founded 
setbacks — to  pile  up  new  millions  for  himself. 

Following  that  one  visit  of  succor  from  Dudley 
Storms,  he  and  Mr.  Bayard  were  no  oftener  in  one  an 
other's  company  than  before.  The  former  retreated 
into  his  native  reticence  and  the  fastnesses  of  his  own 
multitudinous  affairs,  coming  no  more  to  Mr.  Bayard, 
who  did  not  require  help.  Dudley  Storms  was  a  lake 
of  fire  in  a  rim  of  ice,  as  somebody  somewhere  once  said 
of  someone  else,  and  labored  under  peculiarities  of  tem 
perament  and  trait-contradictions  which  you  may  have 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       279 

observed  in  Richard.  For  his  side,  Mr.  Bayard,  proudly 
sensitive,  while  he  never  forgot,  never  failed  to  feel  in 
the  edge  of  that  saving  favor  done  him  by  Dudley 
Storms  the  edge  of  a  sword;  and  this  served  to  hold 
him  aloof  from  one  who  any  hour  might  have  had  his 
life  and  fortune,  without  a  question,  to  do  with  as  he 
would. 

Richard  had  never  met  Mr.  Bayard,  nor  did  he  know 
aught  of  that  gentleman's  long-ago  disasters,  for  they 
occurred  in  the  year  of  Richard's  birth.  But  he  had 
heard  his  father  speak  of  Mr.  Bayard  in  terms  of  glow 
ing  praise;  wherefore,  when  it  became  Richard's  turn 
to  know  somewhat  the  ins  and  outs  of  Wall  Street,  a 
dark  interior  trade-region  of  which  his  ignorance 
for  depth  was  like  unto  the  depth  of  the  ocean,  and  as 
wide,  our  young  gentleman  went  instantly  in  search  of 
him.  Had  he  beheld  the  softened  eye  of  Mr.  Bayard 
when  that  war-lord  of  the  Street  first  read  his  card,  had 
he  heard  his  voice  as  he  repeated  the  line  "  son  of  the 
late  Mr.  Dudley  Storms,"  he  might  have  been  encour 
aged  in  a  notion  that  he  had  not  rapped  at  the  wrong 
door.  But  Richard,  in  the  anteroom  awaiting  the 
return  of  that  person  of  the  serpent  hiss,  did  not  witness 
these  phenomena.  When  he  was  shown  into  the  pres 
ence  of  Mr.  Bayard,  he  saw  only  one  who  for  dignity 
and  courteous  poise  seemed  the  superior  brother  of  the 
best-finished  gentleman  he  had  ever  met. 


280  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  So  you  are  the  son  of  Dudley  Storms,"  said  Mr. 
Bayard,  running  his  eye  over  the  visitor  as  though  look 
ing  for  a  confirmatory  resemblance.  Then,  having  con 
cluded  his  scrutiny:  "  You  are  like  him.  Have  a  chair; 
tell  me  what  I  can  do  to  serve  you." 

Richard  was  taken  with  Mr.  Bayard's  words,  for  that 
gentleman  managed  to  put  into  them  a  reassuring  em 
phasis  that  was  from  nowhere  save  the  heart.  Thus 
led,  Richard  began  by  asking  Mr.  Bayard  if  he  knew 
aught  of  Storri. 

"  Storri?  He  is  the  Russian  who  helped  the  sugar 
people  get  their  hold  in  Odessa.  The  oil  interests  have 
some  thought  of  employing  him  in  their  affairs.  What 
of  Storri?" 

Richard  explained  the  propriety  of  destroying 
Storri ;  this  he  did  with  an  ingenuous  ferocity  that 
caused  Mr.  Bayard  to  smile. 

"  The  man,"  observed  Richard  in  conclusion,  "  is  no 
more  than  so  much  vermin.  He  is  a  menace  to  my 
friends ;  he  has  intrigued  villainously  against  me.  I 
have  no  option ;  I  must  destroy  him  out  of  my  path  as 
I  would  any  footpad  or  any  brigand." 

Being  primal  in  his  instincts,  as  every  great  man  is, 
Mr.  Bayard,  at  this  hostile  declaration,  could  not  avoid 
a  quick  side-glance  at  Richard's  door-wide  shoulders, 
Pict  arms,  and  panther  build.  Richard  caught  the 
look. 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI        281 

"  Oh,  if  it  might  have  been  settled  in  that  way," 
cried  he,  "  I  should  have  had  his  head  wrung  round  ere 
this ! " 

"  You  will  readily  conceive,"  observed  Mr.  Bayard, 
after  musing  a  bit,  "  that  I  keep  myself  posted  con 
cerning  the  least  movement  of  the  least  man  who  comes 
speculating  into  stocks.  You  may  take  it  for  granted 
that  I  know  a  trifle  or  so  of  your  Count  Storri.  To  be 
frank,  he  and  Mr.  Harley,  with  Senator  Hanway  and 
five  others,  are  preparing  for  some  movement  in 
Northern  Consolidated.  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  to 
be  a  '  bull '  or  a  '  bear  '  movement,  or  when  they  will 
begin.  Those  are  matters  which  rest  heavily  on  the 
finding  of  that  special  committee  of  which  Senator 
Hanway  is  the  chief.  Do  you  know  when  the  finding 
may  be  looked  for?  Can  you  tell  me  what  the  com 
mittee  will  report?  " 

Richard  could  not  bring  himself  to  speak  of  Senator 
Hanway's  confidential  assurances  of  a  white  report  for 
Northern  Consolidated.  From  those  assurances  he  was 
sure  that  the  pool  mediatated  a  "  bull  "  campaign,  but 
he  did  not  say  so  since  he  could  not  give  his  reasons. 

Mr.  Bayard  came  to  the  protection  of  his  anxieties. 

"  Senator  Hanway,"  went  on  Mr.  Bayard,  "  has  pri 
vately  told  a  number  of  people  that  the  report  will 
favor  the  road." 

Richard   was    struck   by    the    cool   fullness    of   Mr. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

Bayard's  information.  It  was  likewise  impressive  to 
learn  that  he  was  not  the  only  one  in  Senator  Hanway's 
confidence.  On  top  of  Richard's  wonder  Mr.  Bayard 
piled  another  marvel.  He  declared  that  he  did  not  be 
lieve  the  word  of  Senator  Hanway. 

"  He  is  a  fox  for  caution,"  quoth  Mr.  Bayard,  "  and 
I  cannot  think  he  told  the  truth.  Believe  me,  the  com 
mittee's  report  will  tear  Northern  Consolidated  to 
pieces.  The  market  has  been  exceedingly  strong  since 
the  beginning  of  the  year.  He  will  watch,  and  plump 
in  that  adverse  report  the  moment  general  prices  show 
a  weakness." 

Richard,  while  taken  by  the  reasoning  of  Mr. 
Bayard,  was  not  convinced.  However,  he  asked  Mr. 
Bayard  what  might  be  done. 

"  Remembering  always,"  said  Richard,  "  that  the 
one  purpose  I  have  in  view  is  the  overthrow  of  Storri." 

"  Every  member  of  that  pool,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard, 
"  has  made  himself  fair  game.  A  pool  is  like  a  declara 
tion  of  war  against  the  world ;  the  pool  itself  would 
tell  you  so.  And  speaking  of  the  pool,  you  understand 
that  the  eight  are  bound  together  like  a  fagot.  You 
can't  break  one  without  breaking  all;  if  Storri  fall, 
Mr.  Harley,  Senator  Hanway,  and  the  others  fall." 

Richard  could  not  forbear  a  smile  as  he  recalled  how 
Mrs.  Hanway -Harley  had  said  that  her  only  objection 
to  him  was  his  lack  of  riches,  and  how,  should  his  for- 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       283 

tune  one  day  mend  and  measure  up  with  Mr.  Harley's, 
Dorothy  and  he  might  wed.  The  peculiar  humor  of 
those  possibilities  which  the  situation  offered  began  to 
address  itself  to  Richard.  Was  not  here  a  chance  to 
remove  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  objection? 

"  Since  they  are  open  game,"  said  Richard,  "  I  see 
no  reason  why  the  whole  octagonal  combination  should 
not  be  wiped  out.  Indeed,  there  might  be  a  distinct 
advantage  in  it,"  he  concluded,  thinking  on  Dorothy. 

"  There  would  be  a  distinct  advantage  of  several  mill 
ions  in  it,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard,  who  was  thinking  on 
dollars  and  cents.  Then,  as  might  one  who,  having 
decided,  takes  the  first  step  in  a  great  enterprise: 
"  Where,  by  the  way,  are  those  millions  that  were  left 
by  Dudley  Storms?" 

"  They  are  where  you  may  put  your  hand  upon 
them,"  returned  Richard,  "  in  any  hunting  of  this 
vermin  Storri." 

The  eyes  of  Mr.  Bayard  began  to  glitter  and  light 
up  like  the  windows  of  a  palace  on  the  evening  of  a 
ball. 

"  I  fancy,"  said  he,  "  that  I  shall  go  with  you  for 
this  Storri's  destruction." 

"  I  shall  put  the  matter  wholly  into  your  hands.  It 
is  a  game  of  which  I  know  nothing  but  the  name." 

"  The  game  is  not  difficult ;  it  is  mere  purse-match- 
ing." 


284  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  How  much  of  a  fund  will  you  require?  " 

"  At  the  least,  fifty  millions.  We  must  lie  concealed 
until  the  pool  develop  its  purpose.  It  will  make  but 
little  difference,  once  it  be  developed ;  '  bull  '  or  '  bear,' 
we  meet  them  either  way.  Fifty  millions  should  do. 
If  that  sum  crowd  you,  we  must  recollect  that  I,  my 
self,  am  not  without  a  handful  of  millions  that  can 
never  have  better  employment  than  fighting  the  battles 
of  a  son  of  Dudley  Storms." 

"  Fifty  millions  would  be  no  strain,"  replied  Richard 
quickly.  "  To  be  safe,  let  us  call  those  fifty  millions 
one  hundred.  Still,  I  am  deeply  obliged  for  your 
proffer." 

"  One  hundred  millions  be  it,"  quoth  Mr.  Bayard. 
"  We'll  organize  ourselves,  and  we'll  wait  and  watch. 
When  they  move,  we  meet  them.  Should  they  sell,  we 
bu}T ;  should  they  buy, — which  they  won't, — we  sell ;  in 
either  event  we  buy  or  sell  them  to  a  standstill.  Should 
they  connive  a  *  bear  '  raid,  they'll  sell  their  way  into 
as  formidable  a  corner  as  ever  '  bear  '  was  squeezed  in." 

This  befell  upon  that  first  visit  of  Richard  to  Mr. 
Bayard.  Two  days  later,  Richard  returned.  Mr. 
Gwynn  met  him,  brisk  upon  the  hour,  in  one  of  the 
numerous  private  rooms  of  Mr.  Bayard,  and  turned 
over  one  hundred  millions  in  certified  checks  upon  those 
fifty  banks.  Richard  dismissed  Mr.  Gwynn  and  went 
in  to  Mr.  Bayard. 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       285 

"  I  shall  deposit  these,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  in  ten 
banks,  twenty  millions  in  the  City  Bank  and  the  balance 
scattered  among  the  other  nine.  You  may  leave  the 
details  of  our  enterprise  to  me ;  I  have  been  through 
many  of  similar  color.  I  need  not  suggest  the  value 
of  silence.  Meanwhile,  and  I  can't  emphasize  this  too 
much,  if  you  would  busy  yourself  to  advantage  make 
what  discoveries  you  may  touching  the  pending  report 
on  Northern  Consolidated." 

On  that  evening  when  they  came  together  outside  the 
Harley  house,  Storri  and  the  San  Reve  continued 
slowly  on  their  way,  turning  now  east,  now  south,  until 
after  ten  minutes  of  walking  they  entered  a  narrow 
thoroughfare  to  which  the  street  lamp  on  the  corner 
gave  the  name  of  Grant  Place.  The  houses  were  sober 
and  reputable.  Up  the  steps  of  one  of  the  soberest 
went  Storri  and  the  San  Reve;  the  latter  let  them  in 
with  a  latch-key.  Storri  consigned  his  overcoat  and 
hat  to  the  rack  in  the  hall  as  though  his  surroundings 
were  familiar,  and  he  writh  the  San  Reve  passed  into 
what  in  the  original  plan  of  the  house  had  been  meant 
for  a  drawing-room. 

The  house  was  occupied  by  a  stirring  lady  named 
Warmdollar,  who  served  her  country  as  head  scrub 
woman  in  one  of  the  big  departments — a  place  of  fatter 
salary  than  its  menial  name  implies.  There  was  a  Mr. 
Warmdollar,  who  in  an  earlier  hour  had  held  through 


286  THE  PRESIDENT 

two  terms  a  seat  in  Congress.  This  was  years  befo* 
Failing  of  a  second  re-election,  and  having  become  fixed 
in  the  habit  of  officeholding,  which  habit  seizes  upon 
certain  natures  like  a  taste  for  opium,  Mr.  Warmdollar 
urged  his  claims  for  some  appointive  place.  The  Sen 
ators  from  his  home-State  felt  compelled  to  moderately 
bestir  themselves,  the  result  of  their  joint  efforts  being 
that  Mr.  Warmdollar  was  tendered  a  position  as  guard 
about  the  congressional  cemetery,  said  last  resting- 
place  of  greatness-gonc-to-sleep  being  a  wild,  weird 
tract  in  a  semi-farmerish  region  on  the  fringe  of  town. 
Mr.  Warmdollar  objected  to  the  place,  and  the  gloomy 
kind  of  its  duties ;  but  since  this  was  before  Mrs.  Warm- 
dollar  had  begun  to  earn  a  salary  as  scrubwoman,  he 
was  driven  to  accept. 

"  Take  it  until  something  better  turns  up,"  urged 
one  of  the  Senators,  who  had  grown  tired  of  having 
Mr.  Warmdollar  on  his  hands. 

It  was  a  blustering  night  of  rain  when  Mr.  Warm- 
dollar  entered  upon  his  initial  vigil  as  a  guardian  of 
the  dead.  Wet,  weary,  disgusted,  Mr.  Warmdollar 
sought  refuge  in  a  coop  of  a  sentry-box,  which  stood 
upon  the  crest  of  a  hill  through  which  the  road  that 
bounded  one  side  of  the  burying  ground  had  been  cut. 
The  sentry-box  was  waterproof  and  to  that  extent  a 
comfort,  being  designed  for  deluges  of  the  sort  then 
soaking  Mr.  Warmdollar. 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       287 

Had  there  been  nothing  but  a  downpour,  Mr.  Warm- 
dollar  might  have  borne  it  until  his  watch  was  relieved ; 
he  might  have  even  continued  to  perform  the  duties  and 
draw  the  emoluments  of  his  place  indefinitely.  But  the 
winds  rose ;  and  they  blew  down  Mr.  Warmdollar's 
sentry-box*  Toppling  into  the  road,  it  rolled  merrily 
down  a  steep  and  then  lay  upon  its  front,  door  down 
ward,  in  the  mud.  Mr.  Warmdollar  could  not  get  out ; 
being  discouraged  by  what  he  had  undergone,  he  broke 
into  yells  and  cries  like  a  soul  weltering  in  torment. 

The  yells  and  cries  engaged  the  heated  admiration 
of  a  farmer's  dog  that  dwelt  hard  by,  and  the  dog  de 
scended  upon  the  sentry-box  and  Mr.  Warmdollar,  at 
tacking  both  with  an  impartiality  which  showed  him  no 
one  to  split  hairs.  Then  the  farmer  came  to  his  door, 
arrayed  in  a  shirt  and  a  shotgun,  and  emptied  both 
barrels  of  the  latter  at  Mr.  Warmdollar  and  his  sentry- 
box — the  agriculturist  not  understanding  the  case,  as 
sometimes  happens  to  agriculturists,  notably  in  politics. 

Following  his  baptism  of  dog  and  fire,  Mr.  Warm- 
dollar  crawled  back  to  town  and  worked  no  more.  Mrs. 
Warmdollar  was  named  scrubwoman,  while  her  disheart 
ened  spouse  devoted  himself  to  strong  drink,  as  though 
to  color  one's  nose  and  fuddle  one's  wits  were  the  great 
purposes  of  existence.  Being  eager  of  gain,  Mrs. 
Warmdollar  had  sub-rented  her  parlor  floor  to  the  San 
Reve;  and  since  Mrs.  Warmdollar  was  a  lady  in  whom 


288  THE  PRESIDENT 

curiosity  had  had  its  day  and  died,  she  asked  no  ques 
tions  the  answers  to  which  might  prove  embarrassing. 

The  San  Reve,  like  Mrs.  Warmdollar,  worked  in  a 
department,  being  a  draughtswoman  in  the  Treasury 
Building,  and  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  supervising 
architect.  The  place  had  been  granted  the  San  Reve 
at  the  request  of  Senator  Hanway,  who  was  urged 
thereunto  by  Mr.  Harley,  to  whom  Storri  explained  the 
San  Rcvc's  skill  in  plates  and  plans  and  the  propriety 
of  work. 

The  San  Reve's  apartments  were  comfortable  with 
chairs,  lounges,  and  ottomans ;  a  piano  occupied  one 
corner,  while  two  or  three  good  pictures  hung  upon  the 
walls.  In  the  bow-window  was  a  window-seat  piled 
high  with  cushions,  from  which  by  daylight  one  might 
have  surveyed  the  passing  show — dull  enough  in  Grant 
Place. 

"  Have  you  no  kiss  for  your  Storri,  my  San  Reve?  " 
cried  Storri  plaintively,  but  still  sticking  to  the  lightly 
confident. 

The  San  Reve  accepted  Storri's  gallant  attention  as 
though  thinking  on  other  things  than  kisses.  Then  she 
threw  aside  her  hat  and  wraps,  and  glanced  at  herself 
in  the  glass. 

She  was  a  striking  figure,  the  San  Reve,  with  brick- 
colored  hair  and  eyes  more  green  than  gray.  Her  skin 
showed  white  as  ivory ;  her  nose  and  mouth  and  chin, 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       289 

heavy  for  a  woman,  told  of  a  dangerous  energy  when 
aroused.  The  eyebrows,  too,  had  a  lowering  falcon 
trick  that  touched  the  face  with  fierceness.  The  fore 
head  gave  proof  of  brains,  and  yet  the  San  Reve  was 
one  more  apt  to  act  than  think,  particularly  if  she 
felt  herself  aggrieved.  If  you  must  pry  into  a  matter 
so  delicate,  the  San  Reve  was  twenty-eight;  standing 
straight  as  a  spear,  with  small  hands  and  feet,  she  dis 
played  that  ripeness  of  outline  which  sculptors  give 
their  Phrynes. 

"  Storri,"  said  the  San  Reve,  with  a  chill  bluntness 
that  promised  the  disagreeable  while  it  lost  no  time, 
"  why  do  you  visit  that  house — the  Harley  house  ?  " 

Storri  was  in  an  easy-chair,  puffing  a  cigar  as 
though  at  home.  The  San  Reve,  half  lying,  half  sit 
ting,  reclined  upon  a  sofa.  They  looked  at  each  other ; 
Storri  trying  to  seem  brave,  the  San  Reve  with  staring 
courage,  open  and  more  real. 

"  You  know,  my  San  Reve,  I  have  business  with  Mr. 
Harley.  Let  me  tell  you:  Mr.  Harley,  through  his 
relative,  Senator  Hanway ' 

"  You  go  to  see  the  girl,"  interrupted  the  San  Reve, 
and  the  sullen  contralto  was  vibrant  of  danger.  "  You 
go  to  see  Miss  Harley,  not  her  father." 

"And  if  I  do?" 

Storri  put  his  query  blusteringly. 

"  You  will  marry  her,"  went  on  the  San  Reve,  who 


290  THE  PRESIDENT 

appeared  to  care  as  little  for  Storri's  bluster  as  his 
kiss. 

"  I  never  promised  to  marry  you." 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  to  marry  me.  I  want  neither 
your  name  nor  your  title.  But  you  promised  me  your 
love;  I  want  that."  The  San  Reve's  tones  were  un 
ruffled.  They  did  not  lift  or  mount,  and  told  only  of 
passionate  resolution.  "  Storri,  why  did  you  bring  me 
from  Ottawa?" 

"  If  it  come  to  that,"  retorted  Storri  spitefully, 
"  why  did  you  leave  Ottawa?  " 

"  I  left  Ottawa  for  love,"  the  San  Reve  replied,  as 
though  considering  with  herself.  "  I  left  Ottawa  for 
love  of  you,  just  as  four  years  before  I  came  to  Ottawa 
for  love  of  another." 

"  You  have  had  adventures,"  remarked  Storri  sar 
castically.  "  I  have  never  heard  your  story,  my  San 
Reve ;  go  on,  I  beseech  you !  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  one  thing,"  said  the  San  Reve, 
"  from  which  you  may  wring  a  warning.  My  father 
was  a  showman — a  tamer  of  lions  and  leopards.  When 
I  was  twelve,  I  went  into  the  den  with  him  to  hold  a 
hoop  while  he  lashed  those  big  cats  through  it.  Yes, 
Storri,"  cried  the  San  Reve,  a  sudden  flame  to  burst 
forth  in  her  voice  like  an  oral  brightness,  and  as  ap 
parent  as  a  fire  in  a  forest,  "  when  to  fear  was  to  die, 
I  have  held  aloft  my  little  hoop  to  the  lions  and  the 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       291 

leopards !  And  for  all  their  snarls  they  jumped  tamely ; 
for  all  their  threats  they  did  nothing.  I,  as  a  child, 
was  not  afraid  of  a  lion  under  the  lash;  am  I  now  to 
fear  a  bear,  a  Russian  bear,  I,  who  am  a  woman?  " 

"  Why,  my  San  Reve,"  protested  Storri,  "  and  what 
has  stirred  your  anger  ?  " 

Storri  was  startled  by  the  San  Reve's  fury  rather 
than  her  revelations.  Having  a  politic  mind  to  soothe 
her,  he  sought  to  take  her  hand. 

"  Keep  your  attentions  to  yourself !  "  cried  the  San 
Reve ;  "  I  am  in  no  temper  for  tenderness." 

"  Ah,  as  to  that,"  said  Storri,  turning  proud,  "  I, 
who  am  a  Russian  gentleman,  yes,  a  Russian  nobleman, 
shall  not  offend.  Yes,"  yawning  and  giving  himself  an 
air,  "  I  am  relieved  by  your  cold  attitude.  That  is  the 
folly  of  being  noble !  One  cannot  be  attentive  to  those 
beneath  one  save  at  a  loss  of  self-respect.  Bah !  my 
Czar,  could  he  but  see,  would  call  his  Storri  disgraced 
by  the  mere  nearness  of  such  as  you." 

"  And  you  name  your  Czar  to  me !  "  returned  the 
San  Reve,  now  sneering  calm,  her  cool  contralto  re 
stored  ;  "  to  me,  a  French  woman !  And  your  nobility, 
too — that  thing  of  Caspian  mud!  Storri,  the  San 
Reves  were  soldiers  with  Napoleon;  your  noble  kind 
ran  from  them  like  hares.  The  San  Reves  stabled  their 
horses  in  the  audience  chambers  of  your  Czars." 

The  San  Reve  rippled  off  these  periods  in  quiet,  in- 


THE  PRESIDENT 

vincible  scorn.  Storri,  beaten,  frightened,  began  to 
whine.  His  bluster,  his  bombast,  his  nobility,  his 
affected  elevations,  were  alike  broken  down.  He  pro 
fessed  love ;  he  said  that  he  had  wronged  his  San  Reve. 
His  San  Reve  was  a  goddess,  a  flower,  a  star!  Would 
she  make  her  Storri  desolate? — her  Storri  who  would 
die  for  love  of  her ! 

The  San  Reve  became  sensibly  composed;  her  falcon 
brow  relaxed,  her  spirit  took  on  a  tranquil  frame,  her 
anger  was  cooled  by  the  cooing  contrition  of  Storri. 
The  San  Reve  permitted  herself  to  be  soothed. 

"  Let  us  go  no  more  in  that  direction,"  said  the  San 
Reve.  ;t  Such  tauntings  are  but  a  childish  barter  of 
words." 

The  San  Reve  delivered  this  sentiment  in  a  serene, 
high  way  that  brought  her  honor.  Then  she  lighted  a 
cigarette  and  blew  peaceful  rings.  Storri,  encouraged 
in  his  soul  by  the  return  of  his  San  Reve  to  reason, 
solaced  himself  with  a  fresh  cigar.  The  two  smoked 
in  silent  truce. 

"  It  was  a  love  quarrel,  my  San  Reve ! "  said 
Storri. 

"  Only  a  love  quarrel !  "  assented  San  Reve. 

Silence  and  smoke ;  with  Storri  timid,  shrinking  from 
fresh  offense  and  further  outbreak. 

Storri,  fearing  all  who  had  no  fear  of  him,  feared 
the  San  Reve.  Nor  were  his  apprehensions  void  of 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       293 

warrant ;  the  San  Reve  was  of  that  hot  and  blinded 
strain  which  loves  and  slays. 

"  Your  father  dead,"  said  Storri,  pretending  a  perk 
ing  interest,  "  your  father  dead,  my  San  Reve,  what 
then  became  of  you  ?  " 

"  I  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  doting  old  architect  of 
Paris.  He  was  good  to  me;  it  was  with  him  I  learned 
my  trade.  No,  I  did  not  love  him ;  but  I  was  grateful. 
He  died,  and  I  came  to  Ottawa  as  a  draughtswoman  for 
the  young  engineer,  Balue.  I  did  not  love  Balue ;  he 
was  tame.  And  then  Ottawa,  with  those  sodden  Cana 
dians,  their  Scotch  whiskey,  and  narrow  lives  framed 
in  with  snow — how  I  loathed  them !  What  a  weariness 
of  the  heart  they  were,  those  frozen  people!  Then 
came  you — Storri !  " 

The  San  Reve's  gray-green  eyes  burned  with  white 
fire.  She  got  up  from  the  couch  where  she  had  lain 
curled  like  a  tawny  lioness. 

"  Yes ;  you  came !  "  purred  the  San  Reve,  and  she 
stooped  and  kissed  Storri  with  her  fierce  lips.  "  Then 
for  the  first  time  I  loved." 

The  San  Reve  recurled  herself  on  the  couch.  Storri, 
who  had  met  her  kiss  valorously,  considered  whether  he 
might  not  please  her  by  solicitude  in  a  new  direction. 

"  There  is  one  thing,  my  San  Reve,"  he  observed,  a 
show  of  feeling  in  his  words.  "  Why  do  you  tie  your 
self  to  that  draughting  ?  It  grieves  your  Storri !  Am 


294  THE  PRESIDENT 

I  a  pauper  that  my  San  Reve  should  work?  Is  Storri 
so  miserly  that  the  idol  of  his  heart  must  be  a 
slave?" 

The  San  Reve  shook  her  head. 

"  I  must  have  something  to  do,"  she  explained,  a 
half -smile  parting  her  rose-red  lips.  "  I  am  like  those 
poor  rats  of  which  my  father  told  me  who  must  gnaw 
and  gnaw  and  forever  gnaw  to  wear  away  their  teeth, 
which  otherwise  would  grow  and  kill  them.  No,  I  like 
my  work ;  let  me  alone  with  it." 

Storri  tossed  his  handj  and  shrugged  his  shoulders 
in  mute  resignation  and  reproof.  His  San  Reve  would 
work ;  he  consented,  while  he  deprecated  her  so  mad 
resolve. 

"  Let  us  return  to  our  first  concern,"  said  the  San 
Reve. 

Storri  quaked;  he  could  follow  her  trail  of  thought 
by  mental  smell  as  the  hound  follows  the  fox. 

"  Storri,  tell  me;  do  you  love  this  Miss  Harley?  " 

"  My  San  Reve,  how  can  you  ask  ?  Look  in  the 
mirror!  No,  I  do  not  love  Miss  Harley." 

The  San  Reve  toyed  with  her  cigarette.  Storri, 
thinking  on  escape,  arose  to  go.  He  stepped  into  the 
hallway  for  his  coat  and  hat.  Then  he  returned,  and, 
giving  his  hand  to  the  reclining  San  Reve,  drew  her  to 
her  feet.  Storri,  about  to  go,  was  beaming ;  the  kiss  he 
printed  lightly  on  the  San  Reve's  lips  spoke  of  a  heart 


THE  SAN  REVE  WARNS  STORRI       295 

relieved.  The  San  Reve  herself  was  amiably  placid; 
her  anger  apparently  had  died  with  her  doubts. 

"  And  you  do  not  love  Miss  Harley  ?  " 

"  No ;  I  swear  by  my  mother's  grave !  " 

"  By  your  mother's  grave !  "  Then,  voice  deep  as 
the  mellow  pipe  of  an  organ :  "  Storri,  you  lie !  " 

Storri,  aghast,  was  surprised  into  his  usual  defense 
of  bluster.  He  started  to  bully;  the  San  Reve  raised 
her  shapely  hand. 

"  Storri,  let  me  show  you."  The  San  Reve  took 
from  the  drawer  of  a  cabinet  a  beautiful  pistol.  She 
partly  raised  the  hammer  and  buzzed  the  liberated 
cylinder.  It  gave  forth  clear,  musical  clicks.  "  Do 
you  see?  "  said  the  San  Reve  half  wistfully.  "  I  have 
this ! " 

"  You  would  not  kill  Miss  Harley !  "  exclaimed  Storri 
nervously. 

"  No  !  Storri,  no  !  " 

"Whom  then?"  and  Storri  moistened  his  dry  lips. 
His  San  Reve  was  such  a  heathen !  The  thought 
parched  him.  "  Whom  would  you  kill,  my  San  Reve?  " 
This  came  off  pleadingly. 

"Whom  would  I  kill?"  the  San  Reve  repeated  ten 
derly,  stretching  for  a  kiss.  "  I  would  kill  you !  No, 
not  now,  my  Storri;  but  some  time.  My  resolution  is 
only  born;  it  is  not  yet  grown.  Storri,  you  must  be 
ware  !  I  come  of  the  race  that  kill !  I  have  now  only 


296  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  tiny  root  of  that  blood  resolution.  Do  not  let  us 
nourish  it !  We  must  destroy  it — blight  it  with  much 
love!  I  speak  for  you,  for  me!"  The  San  Reve 
began  to  cry  convulsively.  "  I  speak  against  a  dark 
day !  I  feel,  I  know  it !  It  is  you,  you  whom  I  shall 
kill !  And  then  myself — oh,  yes,  my  Storri,  you  cannot 
go  alone !  " 

The  San  Reve  threw  herself  weeping  upon  the  couch ; 
her  gusty  nature  seemed  torn  by  whirlwinds  of  passion 
and  jealous  love.  Storri  hung  in  the  door,  and  the 
white  of  his  cravat  was  not  so  white  as  his  face.  He 
could  neither  go  nor  stay,  neither  speak  nor  do ;  craven 
to  the  heart,  he  quailed  before  the  stormy  San  Reve. 
An  artist  might  have  painted  him  as  the  Genius  of 
Cowardice. 

"  Good-night,  my  Storri,"  said  the  San  Reve,  her 
voice  mournfully  sweet. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HOW    THEY     TALKED    POLITICS    AT    MR.     GWYNN*S 

IN  accord  with  the  requests  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  which 
with  them  had  those  graver  aspects  the  requests 
of  royalty  possess  for  London  shopkeepers,  the 
President  and  General  Attorney  of  the  Anaconda  Air 
line  came  to  Washington.  The  Anaconda  president 
was  a  short,  corpulent  man,  with  dark  skin,  eyes  black 
as  beads,  round,  alert  face,  and  a  nose  like  the  ace  of 
clubs.  The  General  Attorney  was  no  taller  than  his 
superior  officer,  but  differed  from  him  in  a  figure  so 
spare  and  starved  that  it  snapped  its  fingers  at  descrip 
tion.  As  though  to  make  amends  for  a  niggardliness 
of  the  physical,  Providence  had  conferred  upon  our 
legal  one  a  prodigious  head.  A  facetious  opponent 
once  said  that  he  had  a  seven  and  a  half  hat 
and  a  six  and  a  half  belt,  being,  as  steamboat  folk 
would  put  it,  over-engined  for  his  beam.  Both  the 
President  and  the  General  Attorney  were  devoted 
to  their  company,  and  neither  would  have  scrupled 
to  loot  an  orphanage  or  burn  a  church  had  such 
drastic  measure  been  demanded  by  Anaconda  in 
terests. 

297 


298  THE  PRESIDENT 

Once  in  town,  these  excellent  officers  lost  no  time  in 
presenting  themselves  at  Mr.  Gwynn's.  To  their  joy 
that  unbending  personage  was  so  good  as  to  grant  them 
a  personal  audience.  Richard  was  present — such,  as 
you  have  discovered,  being  the  invariable  usage  with 
Mr.  Gwynn.  After  the  latter  had  shaken  each  visitor 
by  the  hand,  a  shake  of  mighty  formality,  he  sat  in 
state  while  Richard  did  the  talking. 

Mr.  Gwynn  was  a  spectacle  of  gravity  when  posed 
in  a  chair.  He  established  himself  on  the  edge  of  that 
piece  of  furniture,  and  for  all  the  employment  he  gave 
its  back  it  might  as  well  have  been  a  stool.  Mr.  Gwynn 
maintained  himself  bolt-upright,  chin  pointed  high, 
with  a  general  rigidity  of  attitude  that  made  one  fear 
he  had  swallowed  the  poker  as  a  preliminary  to  the 
interview,  and  was  bearing  himself  in  accordance 
with  the  unyielding  fact.  The  result  was  highly  ef 
fective,  and  gave  Mr.  Gwynn  a  kingly  air  not  likely  to 
be  wasted  on  impressionable  ones  such  as  the  President 
and  General  Attorney.  When  the  four  were  seated, 
Richard,  using  the  potential  name  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  pro 
ceeded  to  speak,  while  Mr.  Gwynn  at  measured  intervals 
creaked  concurrence. 

It  had  been  decided  by  Mr.  Gwynn,  so  Richard  laid 
bare,  that  the  future  of  the  Anaconda  would  be  ad 
vanced  by  the  nomination  of  Senator  Hanway  for  the 
Presidency.  It  would  pleasure  Mr.  Gwynn  were  he  to 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     299 

hear  that  the  President  and  General  Attorney  shared 
this  conclusion.  If  such  were  the  flattering  case,  Mr. 
Gwynn  would  be  delighted  to  have  the  President  and 
General  Attorney  call  upon  Senator  Hanway,  and  con 
sider  what  might  be  done  towards  the  practical  further 
ance  of  his  hopes.  In  short,  the  situation,  word  and 
argument,  was  precisely  the  same  as  when  the  visitors 
came  on  in  the  affair  of  Speaker  Frost.  Incidentally, 
Mr.  Gwynn  was  to  give  a  dinner  in  honor  of  Senator 
Hanway.  It  was  understood  that  certain  of  that 
statesman's  friends  would  take  advantage  of  the  occa 
sion  to  announce  his  candidacy.  The  President  and 
General  Attorney  were  to  be  invited  to  the  dinner.  Mr. 
Gwynn  would  esteem  it  an  honor  if  they  found  it  con 
venient  to  be  present  and  lend  countenance  to  the  move 
ment  in  Senator  Hanway's  favor. 

Throughout  this  setting  forth,  the  President  and 
General  Attorney  took  advantage  of  pauses  and 
periods  to  bow  and  murmur  agreement  with  Mr. 
Gwynn's  opinions  and  desires  as  Richard  reeled  them 
off ;  the  murmurs  and  nods  were  as  "  Amens,"  and  must 
have  been  gratifying  to  Mr.  Gwynn.  Nothing  could 
give  the  President  and  General  Attorney  so  much  satis 
faction  as  the  elevation  of  Senator  Hanway  to  the 
White  House.  They  were  a  unit  with  Mr.  Gwynn; 
they  believed  that  not  alone  the  future  of  the  Ana 
conda  but  the  prosperity  of  the  nation,  not  to  say  the 


300  THE  PRESIDENT 

round  advantage  of  the  world  at  large,  would  be  sub 
served  thereby.  They  would  confer  with  Senator  Han- 
way  as  Mr.  Gwynn  suggested. 

So  hot  were  they  that  the  President  and  General 
Attorney,  with  Richard,  at  once  sought  Senator  Han- 
way  ;  since  it  was  no  later  than  eleven  in  the  morning 
they  caught  that  great  statesman  before  he  started  for 
the  Senate.  He  greeted  them  with  dignified  warmth, 
and,  aided  by  Richard,  who  conversationally  went 
ahead  to  break  the  ice,  the  trio  quickly  came  to  an 
understanding. 

Senator  Hanway  talked  with  a  freedom  that  was  of 
itself  a  compliment,  when  one  remembers  how  it  had 
ever  been  his  common  strategy  in  this  business  of  Presi 
dent-catching  to  appear  both  ignorant  and  indifferent. 
Senator  Hanway  explained  that  the  thing  just  then 
was  the  nomination.  It  would  be  necessary  to  control 
the  coming  National  Convention.  Governor  Obstinate 
was  a  formidable  figure ;  he  was  popular  with  the 
people ;  and,  although  Governor  Obstinate  was  a  man 
who  would  prove  most  perilous  if  armed  with  those 
thunderbolts  of  veto  and  patronage  wherewith  the  posi 
tion  of  chief  executive  would  clothe  his  hand,  Senator 
Hanway  was  sorry  to  say  there  were  many  among  the 
leading  spirits  of  party  who  cared  so  little  for  the 
public  welfare  and  so  much  for  their  own  that  they 
would  push  Governor  Obstinate's  fortunes  as  a  method 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     301 

of  making  personal  capital  in  their  home  regions  with 
the  ignorant  herd.  Senator  Hanway  would  not  go  into 
the  details  of  what  in  his  opinion  might  be  accomplished 
by  the  President  and  General  Attorney  and  the  great 
railway  system  they  controlled.  It  would  be  wiser,  and 
perhaps  in  better  taste, — here  Senator  Hanway  smiled 
with  becoming  modesty, — if  others  were  permitted  to  do 
that.  If  his  good  friends  of  the  Anaconda  who  had  come 
so  far  in  his  honor — a  mark  of  regard  which  he,  Senator 
Hanway,  could  never  forget  nor  underestimate — gave 
him  their  company  to  the  Capitol,  he  would  be  proud 
to  make  them  acquainted  with  Senators  Gruff  and  Loot 
and  Toot  and  Drink  and  Dice  and  others  of  his  friends, 
and  those  gentlemen  would  go  more  deeply  into  the 
affair.  The  President  and  General  Attorney,  he  was 
sure,  could  so  exert  the  Anaconda  influence  that  the 
delegations  from  those  States  through  which  it  ran 
might  be  selected  and  controlled. 

Senator  Hanway  and  the  President  and  General  At 
torney  departed  in  high  good  feeling  to  meet  with  those 
statesmen  named,  while  Richard  sought  Bess  to  hear 
word  of  his  Dorothy  and  receive  that  letter  which  was 
already  the  particular  ray  of  sunshine  in  days  which 
were  cloudy  and  dark. 

It  would  do  mankind  no  service  to  break  in  at  this 
place  with  wideflung  descriptions  of  Mr.  Gwynn's  din 
ner.  It  is  among  things  strange  that  the  world  in  the 


302  THE  PRESIDENT 

matter  of  proposing  a  candidate  for  public  favor  or 
celebrating  a  victory  has  made  little  or  no  advance  from 
earliest  ages.  It  has  been  immemorial  custom  when 
one  had  a  candidate  on  his  hands  and  desired  to  obtain 
for  him  the  countenance  of  men,  to  give  a  dinner  for 
those  who  were  reckoned  leaders  of  sentiment  and,  first 
filling  them  with  meat  and  wine,  make  them  stirring 
speeches  to  bring  them  to  the  candidate's  support. 
From  the  initial  dinner  sub-dinners  would  radiate,  and 
others  be  born  of  these,  until  a  whole  population  might 
be  considered  fed  and  filled  with  food  and  speeches,  and 
the  candidate  dined,  not  to  say  dinned,  into  the  popular 
heart,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  the  popular  stomach 
—in  either  case  the  popular  regard.  In  celebrations 
the  procedure  was  equally  archaic.  Did  some  admiral 
win  a  sea  fight  or  some  general  a  land  fight  or  some 
candidate  a  ballot  fight,  instantly  one-half  the  popula 
tion  marched  in  the  middle  of  the  street  while  the  other 
half  banked  the  curbs  in  screaming,  kerchief-waving 
lines  of  admiration.  And  thus  has  it  ever  been  since 
that  far-distant  morning  of  Eternity,  when  Time  with 
his  scythe  let  down  the  bars  and  went  upon  his  mowing 
of  the  meadows  of  men's  existences.  Mr.  Gwynn,  you 
may  be  sure,  has  nothing  novel  to  propose;  wherefore 
at  this  crisis  he  gives  a  dinner,  as  doubtless  did  Nero 
and  Moses  and  Noah  and  Adam  and  others  of  the 
mighty  dead  on  similar  occasions  in  their  day. 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S 

Mr.  Gwynn's  dinner  began  with  Senator  Gruff.  This 
wise  man,  with  the  sanction  of  Senator  Hanway,  inti 
mated  to  Richard  the  uses  of  such  a  festival.  Mr. 
Gwynn  was  not  in  politics ;  his  dinner  table  would  be 
neutral  ground.  When  therefore  some  fiery  orator, 
carefully  primed  and  cocked,  suddenly  exploded  into 
eloquent  demands  that  Senator  Hanway  offer  himself 
for  the  White  House,  subject  of  course,  as  the  phrase 
is,  to  the  action  of  his  party's  convention  thereafter  to 
assemble,  it  would  have  a  look  of  spontaneity  that  was 
of  prime  importance.  No  other  could  do  this  so  well 
as  Mr.  Gwynn ;  no  other  table  would  so  escape  that 
charge  of  personal  interest  which  the  friends  of  Gov 
ernor  Obstinate  might  be  expected  to  make.  The  very 
fact  of  Mr.  Gwynn  being  an  Englishman  would  de 
fend  it.  Mr.  Gwynn,  at  the  word  of  Richard,  was 
willing  to  serve  the  views  of  Senator  Gruff,  and  the 
dinner  was  arranged. 

There  were  full  sixty  present,  including  Speaker 
Frost  and  those  high  officials  of  the  Anaconda.  Mr. 
Gwynn  had  also  dispatched  an  invitation  to  Mr.  Bay 
ard,  and  Richard  inclosed  therewith  a  personal  note 
which  had  for  its  result  the  bringing  of  that  astrologer 
of  stocks,  albeit  dinners  political  were  not  precisely  his 
habit. 

"Who  is  your  friend  Gwynn?"  asked  Mr.  Ba}rard, 
the  afternoon  before  the  dinner. 


304  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  I'll  explain  Mr.  Gwynn  later,"  replied  Richard. 
"  He  is  quite  devoted  to  my  interests,  I  assure  you,  and 
to  nothing  else." 

"  I  can  well  believe  so,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard,  who 
had  already  half  solved  the  enigma  of  Mr.  Gwynn.  "  I 
begin  to  fear  that  you  are  a  quixotic,  not  to  say  an  ec 
centric,  not  to  add  a  most  egotistical  young  man.  At 
that  I'm  not  prepared, to  say  you  are  wrong.  One  is 
justified  in  extreme  concealments  to  avoid  those  animals 
the  snobs." 

Mr.  Gwynn,  the  picture  of  all  that  was  imperial,  sat 
at  the  table's  head,  with  Senator  Hanway  on  his  right. 
At  the  foot  was  Senator  Gruff,  who,  if  not  the  founder, 
might  be  called  the  architect  of  the  feast,  since,  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Bayard,  he  had  pricked  off  the 
list  of  guests.  Mr.  Harley,  sad  and  worn  with  thoughts 
of  Storri,  sat  next  to  Senator  Gruff,  while  Mr.  Bayard 
and  Richard  occupied  inconspicuous  places  midway  of 
the  board. 

When  in  the  procession  of  courses  the  dinner  attained 
to  birds,  a  famous  editor  of  the  Middle  West,  who 
had  been  consuming  wine  with  diligence  to  the  end  that 
he  be  fluent,  addressed  the  table's  head.  He  recited  the 
public  interests ;  then,  paying  a  tribute  to  their  party 
as  the  guardian  of  those  interests,  he  wound  up  in 
words  of  fire  with  the  declaration  that  Senator  Hanway 
must  be  the  next  standard-bearer  of  that  party.  The 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     305 

cheering  was  tremendous,  considering  the  small  numbers 
to  furnish  it. 

When  the  joyful  sounds  subsided,  Senator  Hanway, 
in  a  few  placid,  gentle  sentences,  explained  his  flattered 
amazement,  and  how  helplessly  he  was  in  the  hands  of 
his  friends,  who  would  do  with  him  as  they  deemed  best 
for  party  welfare  and  for  public  good.  He  had  not 
sought  this  honor,  he  did  not  look  for  the  nomination ; 
his  own  small  estimate  of  his  powers  and  importance, 
an  estimate  which  gentlemen  who  heard  him  must  be 
aware  of,  was  proof  of  it.  But  no  man  might  set  his 
inclinations  against  a  popular  demand.  Private  pref 
erences  must  yield,  private  plans  must  be  abandoned. 
The  country  was  entitled  to  the  services  of  every  citizen, 
the  party  was  at  liberty  to  command  the  name  of  every 
member.  Believing  these  things,  and  owing  what  he 
did  to  both  public  and  party,  Senator  Hanway  must 
acquiesce.  He  thanked  his  friends  for  thus  distin 
guishing  him ;  he  gave  himself  passively  to  their  will. 
There  was  a  second  tempest  of  approbation  when  Sen 
ator  Hanway  was  through. 

Senator  Gruff  proposed  the  health  of  the  President 
of  the  Anaconda.  That  potentate  of  railways  made  a 
short,  jerky  oration.  He  gave  his  hearty  concurrence 
to  the  proposal  of  Senator  Hanway  to  be  President.  He 
did  this  as  a  patriot  and  not  as  the  head  of  a  great 
railway.  The  Anaconda  would  take  no  part  in  politics ; 


£06  THE  PRESIDENT 

it  never  did.  The  Anaconda  was  a  business,  not  a 
political,  concern;  it  would  do  nothing  unbecoming  a 
corporation  of  discretion  and  repute.  However,  he, 
the  President,  was  more  or  less  acquainted  with  senti 
ment  in  those  regions  threaded  by  the  Anaconda.  He 
made  no  doubt,  nay,  he  could  squarely  promise,  that  the 
delegations  from  those  States,  as  he  knew  and  read 
their  people's  feeling,  would  go  to  the  next  convention 
instructed  for  Senator  Hanway.  More  applause,  and 
a  buzz  of  congratulatory  whispers.  The  powerful 
Anaconda,  that  political  dictator  of  a  region  so  vast 
that  it  was  washed  by  two  oceans,  was  to  champion 
Senator  Hanway. 

Senator  Coot,  whose  home-State  was  shaky  beneath 
his  Senate  feet,  and  who  was  therefore  anxiously  afraid 
lest  he  himself  be  committed  to  a  position  on  the  perilous 
subject  of  finance  that  might  provoke  his  destruction, 
now  addressed  the  table.  He  yielded  to  no  one  in  his 
admiration  for  Senator  Hanway.  In  view  of  what  had 
been  proposed,  however,  he,  Senator  Coot,  would  like 
to  ask  Senator  Hanway  to  define  his  position  in  that 
controversy  of  Silver  versus  Gold. 

No  one  was  looking  for  this,  no  such  baleful  curiosity 
had  been  anticipated.  It  was  Senator  Gruff  that  came 
to  the  rescue,  and  Richard,  to  whom  the  scene  was  new 
and  full  of  interest,  could  not  admire  too  deeply  the 
dexterity  wherewith  he  held  the  shield  of  his  humor 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     307 

between  Senator  Hanway  and  the  shaft  of  that  inter 
rogatory. 

Senator  Gruff  thought  the  question  premature.  The 
convention  was  months  away ;  sentiment  had  been  known 
to  shift  in  a  day  like  the  bed  of  a  river  and  seek  new 
channels  with  its  currents.  Senator  Gruff  distrusted 
the  wisdom  of  binding  anybody  at  that  time  to  a  hard 
and  fast  declaration  whether  for  silver  or  gold  or  both. 
He  was  sure  that  on  soberer  thought  his  friend  Senator 
Coot  would  see  the  impropriety  of  his  question. 

Senator  Coot  declined  to  see  the  impropriety  to  which 
Senator  Gruff  had  adverted.  To  commit  himself  to 
any  gentleman's  canvass  was  to  commit  himself  to  that 
gentleman's  opinions.  Those  opinions  might  not  be 
consistent  with  ones  held  by  his,  Senator  Coot's,  con 
stituents,  to  whom  he  must  in  all  things  adhere.  He, 
Senator  Coot,  was  no  one  to  buy  pigs  in  pokes — if  Sen 
ator  Hanway  would  forgive  a  homely  expression  which 
was  not  intended  as  personal  to  himself.  Senator  Coot 
must  insist  upon  his  question. 

Senator  Gruff  still  came  forward  in  defense.  He 
said  he  had  heard  that  Senator  Coot's  native  State  of 
Indiana  was  originally  settled  by  people  who  had  started 
for  the  West  but  lost  their  nerve.  In  view  of  the 
timidity  and  weak  irresolution  of  his  Senate  brother,  he, 
Senator  Gruff,  was  inclined  to  credit  the  tradition.  He 
must  protest  against  question-asking  at  this  time. 


308  THE  PRESIDENT 

Senator  Gruff  must  even  warn  his  friend  Senator  Coot 
that  to  ask  a  question  now  might  result  in  later  disaster 
to  himself. 

On  that  point  of  question-putting,  might  he,  Senator 
Gruff,  impart  a  word  of  counsel?  A  question  was  often 
a  trap  to  catch  the  questioner.  One  should  step  warily 
with  a  question.  A  man  who  puts  a  question  should 
never  fail  to  know  the  answer  in  advance.  When  he 
pulls  the  trigger  of  a  question,  as  when  he  pulls  the 
trigger  of  a  gun,  he  must  look  out  for  the  kick.  Many 
a  perfect  situation  had  been  destroyed  by  the  wrong 
question  asked  in  the  dark.  Senator  Gruff  begged  per 
mission  to  tell  a  story. 

"  Once  a  good  and  optimistic  dominie,"  said  Senator 
Gruff,  "  was  being  shown  through  Sing  Sing  Prison. 
In  his  company  went  a  pessimist  who  took  darkling 
views  of  humanity  in  the  lump,  and  particularly  what 
fractions  of  the  lump  had  gotten  themselves  locked  up. 
The  pessimist  could  see  no  good  in  them. 

"  '  But  you  are  wrong,'  argued  the  dominie.  '  There's 
good  in  the  worst  among  them  all.  Stay;  I'll  prove 
it.'  Then,  turning  to  the  guard :  '  Sir,  please  bring  us 
to  the  very  worst  character  who  is  prisoner  here.'  On 
their  way  to  the  abandoned  one,  the  dominie  observed 
to  the  pessimist :  4  I'll  guarantee,  by  a  few  adroit  ques 
tions,  to  so  develop  the  good  side  of  this  fallen  creature 
that  you  will  be  driven  to  confess  its  existence.5 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     309 

"  They  traveled  the  corridors,  and  finally  the  guard 
threw  open  a  cell  wherein  was  a  man  whose  face  was  so 
utterly  brutal  that  its  softest  expression  was  a  breach 
of  the  peace.  The  man,  who  was  in  for  life,  had  com 
mitted  an  atrocious  murder. 

"  The  only  thing  in  the  cell  besides  the  man  was  a 
rat,  which — wheel  within  wheel — was  confined  in  a  little 
cage.  This  rat  was  the  prisoner's  darling;  the  guard 
said  that  he  would  draw  blood  from  his  arm  to  feed  it. 
The  good  dominie — who  knew  his  business — instantly 
seized  upon  the  rat  for  his  cue. 

"  '  And  you  love  the  rat  ?  '  he  said  to  the  pris 
oner. 

"  *  I  love  it  better  than  my  life ! '  cried  the  prisoner. 
4  There  isn't  anything  I  wouldn't  sacrifice  for  that 
rat.' 

"  '  There,'  said  the  good  dominie,  wheeling  on  the 
pessimist,  who  was  visibly  subdued  by  the  poor  pris 
oner's  love  for  his  humble  pet,  '  there,  you  see !  Here 
is  a  captive  wretch  whose  estate  is  hopeless.  He  wears 
the  brand  of  a  felon  and  is  doomed  to  stone-caged  soli 
tude  throughout  his  life.  And  yet,  without  friends  or 
light  or  liberty,  with  everything  to  sour  and  harden 
and  promote  the  worst  that's  in  him,  he  finds  it  in  his 
heart  to  love !  From  those  white  seed  which  were 
planted  by  Providence  in  the  beginning  that  beautiful 
love  springs  up  to  blossom  in  a  dreary  prison,  and,  for 


310  THE  PRESIDENT 

want  of  a  nobler  object,  waste  its  tender  fragrance  on 
a  rat.  It  touches  me  to  the  heart ! '  and  the  good 
dominie  watered  the  floor  of  the  cell  with  his  tears. 

"  The  pessimist  had  no  more  to  say ;  he  murmured 
his  contrition  and  declared  that  he  had  received  a  les 
son.  He  would  never  again  distrust  or  contradict  the 
existence  of  that  spark  of  divine  goodness  which,  at  the 
bottom  of  every  nature  like  a  diamond  at  the  bottom 
of  a  pit,  would  live  quenchless  through  the  ages  to  save 
the  soul  at  last. 

"  The  good  dominie  and  the  reformed  pessimist  were 
retiring,  when  the  dominie  paused,  like  Senator  Coot, 
to  ask  one  question — the  only  one  he  couldn't  have  an 
swered  in  advance. 

"  '  Why,  my  poor  man,  do  you  love  that  rat?  9 

"  The  prisoner's  face  became  more  brutal  with  the 
light  of  a  diabolical  joy. 

"'Why  do  I  love  him?'  he  cried.  Then,  with  a 
chuckle  of  fiendish  exultation :  6  Because  he  bit  the 
warden.' ' 

The  adroit  Senator  Gruff  might  have  found  it  hard 
to  show  the  application  of  his  story.  That,  however, 
was  not  going  to  worry  the  sagacious  Senator  Gruff. 
He  reckoned  only  upon  raising  a  laugh  at  the  anxious 
Senator  Coot's  expense  which  would  silence  that  ques 
tion-asking  personage,  who  was  more  afraid  of  present 
ridicule,  being  sensitive,  than  of  future  condemna- 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S 

tlon  by  his  constituents.  The  yarn  succeeded  in  win 
ning  peals  of  laughter,  and  without  giving  Senator 
Coot  a  chance  to  reply  or  repeat  his  poking  about  to 
discover  the  position  of  Senator  Hanway  upon  the  issue 
of  finance,  Senator  Gruff  proposed  the  health  of  Mr. 
Bayard. 

"  And  perhaps,"  remarked  Senator  Gruff,  "  that 
eminent  authority  on  markets,  and  therefore  upon 
finance,  will  favor  us  with  his  views  on  money.  I  do 
not  hesitate,"  concluded  Senator  Gruff,  turning  to  Mr. 
Bayard,  "  to  cast  you  into  the  breach,  because,  of  all 
who  are  here,  you  are  the  one  best  qualified  and,  I  might 
add,  least  afraid  to  be  heard.  You  have  no  constitu 
ents  to  be  either  shocked  at  your  opinions  or  to  punish 
their  expression." 

Senator  Coot's  curiosity  touching  Senator  Hanway's 
money  position,  a  fatal  curiosity  that  had  it  not  been 
smothered  might  have  spread,  was  overwhelmed  in  a 
general  desire  to  hear  Mr.  Bayard.  The  great 
speculator  was  known  to  every  statesman  about  the 
table,  and  the  whisper  of  conversation  became  hushed. 

"  As  said  the  gentleman  who  has  so  honored  me," — 
here  Mr.  Bayard  bowed  to  Senator  Gruff,  who  com 
plimented  him  by  lifting  his  glass, — "  there  are  no 
reasons  why  I  should  not  give  you  my  beliefs  of  money. 
I  will  tell  you  what  I  would  and  would  not  do  for  a 
currencj7,  if  I  were  business  manager  of  a  country. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

I  would  not  coin  silver  money,  because  the  low  intrinsic 
value  of  such  currency  would  make  it  a  cumbrous  one. 
I  would  not  coin  both  silver  and  gold,  because  of  the 
impossibility  of  maintaining  an  equality  of  values  be 
tween  the  two  coins.  I  would  coin  gold  and  nothing 
but  gold,  because  it  offers  those  qualities,  important 
above  others  in  a  money  metal,  of  high  value  and  high 
durability." 

"  But  is  there  gold  enough  to  furnish  all  the  money 
required?  "  asked  Senator  Coot,  who  was  nervously  in 
terested. 

"  For  centuries,"  replied  Mr.  Bayard,  who  began  to 
feel  a  warmer  interest  than  he  had  in  any  situation  or 
any  topic  for  over  thirty  years,  "  for  centuries  produc 
tion  has  been  filling  the  annual  lap  of  the  world  with 
millions  upon  millions  of  gold.  No  part  of  it  has  been 
lost,  none  destroyed.  For  every  possible  appropria 
tion  there  exists  a  plenty,  even  a  plethora,  of  gold. 
And  let  me  say  this:  there  is  a  deal  of  claptrap  talked 
and  written  and  printed  and  practiced  concerning 
this  business  of  a  currency,  a  subject  which  when 
given  a  right  survey  presents  no  difficulty.  Man 
kind  has  been  taught  that  in  the  essence  of  things 
fiscal  your  question  of  currency  is  as  intricate  and 
involved  as  was  the  labyrinth  of  Minos.  And  then,  to 
add  ill-doing  to  ill-teaching,  our  own  crazy-patch 
system  of  finance  has  been  in  every  one  of  its  patches 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S     313 

cut  and  basted  and  stitched  with  an  interest  of  politics 
or  of  private  gain  to  guide  the  shears  and  needle 
of  what  money-tailor  was  at  work.  A  country,  if 
it  would,  could  have  a  circulating  medium,  and  all 
coined  yellow  gold,  of  two  hundred  dollars,  or  five  hun 
dred  dollars,  or  one  thousand  dollars  per  capita  for 
population,  and,  beyond  the  expense  of  the  mint,  with 
out  costing  that  country  a  shilling.  One,  being  business 
manager  of  the  nation,  as  fast  as  the  mints  would  work 
could  pour  forth  an  unbroken  stream  of  gold  money, 
half-eagles,  eagles,  and  double  eagles,  to  what  breadth 
and  depth  for  a  whole  circulation  one  would,  and  never 
spend  a  shilling  beyond  the  working  of  the  mints. 

"  Observe,  now ;  as  a  nation  we  have  a  business  mana 
ger.  He  holds  in  his  fingers  five  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces.  He  buys  one  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  gold 
bullion  with  them.  The  public,  if  it  would,  might  buy 
gold  as  freely  as  does  any  private  individual.  Our 
business  manager  gets  the  bullion,  while  the  other,  a  gold 
miner  perhaps,  takes  the  gold  coin.  Then  our  business 
manager  stamps  the  bullion  he  has  bought — one  hun 
dred  dollars'  worth — into  five  new  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces. 

"  With  these  in  his  palm  he  is  ready  for  another  bar 
gain  with  the  gold  miner.  Again  the  miner  gets  the 
gold  pieces,  and  again  our  business  manager  gets  one 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  yellow  bullion.  This  he  coins ; 


314  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  being  thereby  re-equipped  with  five  more  new 
twenty-dollar  pieces  he  returns  to  the  experiment. 

"  This  barter  and  this  coinage  might  go  on  while  a 
grain  of  the  world's  gold  remained  uncoined.  At  the 
finish,  our  business  manager  would  have  only  one  hun 
dred  yellow  dollars  in  his  fist ;  but  there  would  be  bill 
ions  coined  and  stamped  and  in  circulation.  And  the 
country  would  be  neither  in  nor  out  a  dollar.  I  am 
talking  of  coinage,  not  taxation,  remember. 

"  Once  in  circulation  the  law  would  protect  the  money 
from  being  clipped  or  mutilated  or  melted  down.  Once 
money,  always  money,  and  he  who  alters  its  money 
status  we  lock  up  as  a  felon.  There  is  no  legal  reason 
and  no  moral  reason  and  no  market  reason  to  militate 
against  what  I  have  outlined  as  a  policy.  Finance  as 
a  science  is  simpler  than  the  science  of  soap-boiling, 
although  the  money-changers  in  the  temple  for  their 
own  selfish  advantage  prefer  you  to  think  other 
wise." 

"  Your  wholesale  consumption  of  gold,"  interrupted 
Senator  Coot,  "  would  raise  the  price  of  gold  beyond 
measure." 

"  Wherein  would  lie  the  harm?  So  that  it  did  not  dis 
turb  the  comparative  prices  of  soap  and  pork  and  sugar 
and  flour  and  lumber  and  on  through  the  list  of  a  world's 
commodities — and  it  would  not — no  one  would  experi 
ence  either  jolt  or  squeeze.  With  wheat  at  a  dollar  a 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S    SI 5 

bushel,  a  reduction  to  ten  cents  a  bushel  would  work  no 
injury  if  at  the  same  time  every  other  commodity  in  its 
price  fell  ninety  per  cent.  To  merely  multiply  the 
4  price  '  of  gold,  a  metal  which  when  it  isn't  money  is 
jewelry,  would  cut  no  more  important  figure  in  the 
economy  of  life  than  would  the  making  of  one  thou 
sand  marks  upon  a  thermometer  where  now  we  make 
one  hundred.  Suppose,  instead  of  one  hundred  degrees, 
we  scratched  off  one  thousand  degrees  on  a  thermometer 
in  the  same  space:  would  it  make  the  weather  any  hot 
ter?  I  grant  you  a  cautious  business  manager  would 
not  walk  in  among  the  gold-sellers  and  purchase  ten 
billion  dollars'  worth  of  gold  in  a  day ;  and  for  the  same 
reason  that  a  cautious  cowboy  wouldn't  ride  in  among 
a  bunch  of  cattle  and  flap  a  blanket.  Not  because 
there  lurks  inherent  peril  in  so  doing,  but  for  that  in  the 
timid  ignorance  of  the  herd  it  would  produce  a  stam 
pede." 

"  But  don't  you  see,"  objected  Senator  Coot,  who 
was  learned  in  the  cant  of  currency  and  believed  it, 
"  don't  you  see  that  what  you  propose,  by  putting  up 
the  price  of  gold  and  putting  down  the  price  of  every 
thing  else,  would  multiply  riches  in  the  hands  of  the 
creditor  class?  Wouldn't  it  work  injustice  to  the  debt 
ors  of  the  land  ?  " 

"  Without  pausing  to  guess,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  for 
that  is  all  one  might  do,  whether  the  extravagant  coin- 


316  THE  PRESIDENT 

age  of  gold  would  promote  its  '  price,'  I  will  submit  that 
such  contention  should  be  disregarded.  It  is  too  gen 
eral,  and  too  incessant.  If  such  were  permitted  the 
rank  of  argument,  it  would  trip  up  every  tariff,  every 
appropriation,  every  governmental  thing. 

"  Also,  one  must  not  put  a  too  narrow  limit  upon  the 
term  '  creditor  class.'  Every  man  with  a  dollar  in  his 
pocket,  or  who  owns  a  farm  or  a  horse  or  a  bolt  of  cloth 
or  one  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  belongs  to  the  extent 
of  that  dollar  or  farm  or  horse  or  bolt  of  cloth  or  one 
hundred  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  creditor  class.  The 
world  is  his  debtor,  and  he  has  it  in  pawn  and  pledge 
to  him  for  the  value  of  that  dollar  or  farm  or  horse  or 
cloth  or  wheat.  Now,  a  tariff  law  can  be  and  frequently 
is  framed  so  as  to  lift  or  lower  the  '  prices  '  of  all  or 
any  of  these.  If  your  argument  be  good  it  should 
be  just  as  potent  to  prevent  a  tariff  law  that  aug 
ments  riches  in  one  hand  or  detracts  from  riches  in 
another,  as  to  prevent  a  coinage  law  that  does  the 
same. 

"  Properly  speaking,  there  can  be  no  separation  of 
mankind  into  creditor  and  debtor  classes,  since,  as  we 
have  seen,  every  man  with  a  dollar's  worth  of  property 
is  in  the  creditor  class  to  the  extent  of  that  dollar,  while 
the  world  is  in  the  debtor  class  and  owes  him  therefor. 
There  can  be  but  two  classes :  those  who  own  something, 
and  those  who  don't.  There  lies  the  sole  natural  divi- 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S    317 

sion ;  and  not  a  law  is  framed,  whether  it  be  for  a  tariff 
or  an  appropriation  or  an  army  or  a  navy  or  a  coinage 
or  a  bond  issue  or  what  you  will,  that  does  not,  in  lesser 
or  greater  degree,  add  to  or  take  from  the  riches  of 
some  man  or  men.  No  government  can  go  its  clumsy 
necessary  way  without  stepping  on  somebody's  toes, 
and  if  one  cannot  have  a  currency  because  to  have  it 
will  help  this  individual  or  hurt  that  one,  by  the  same 
token  one  cannot  have  a  government  at  all. 

"  However,"  concluded  Mr.  Bayard,  "  I  think  your 
talked-of  advance  in  a  gold  '  price '  born  of  coined 
billions  might  prove  in  the  test  to  be  imaginary  rather 
than  real.  There  has  been  ever  a  gold-ghost  to 
frighten  folk.  There  was  once  a  time  when  men  talked 
of  resuming  specie  payment,  and  the  public  hung  away 
from  it,  fearful  and  trembling,  like  an  elephant  about 
to  cross  a  bridge.  Horace  Greeley  cried,  *  The  way  to 
resume  is  to  resume ! '  and  every  dollar-dullard  called 
him  crazy.  And  yet,  as  the  simple  sequel  demonstrated, 
the  elephant  need  not  have  shivered,  the  bridge  was 
wholly  safe,  and  Horace  Greeley  was  right." 

Senator  Gruff,  whom  Mr.  Gwynn  had  privately  re 
quested  to  assume  control  so  far  as  speeches  and  toasts 
and  sentiments  to  be  expressed  were  involved,  now  held 
forth  in  terms  of  flowery  compliment  concerning  Mr. 
Bayard.  He  thanked  that  able  gentleman  for  his 
theory  of  finance.  Senator  Gruff  would  not  discuss  its 


318  THE  PRESIDENT 

soundness ;  this  was  not  the  time  nor  yet  the  place.  Pie 
would  say,  however,  that  it  was  unique  and  interesting. 

Referring  to  what  Mr.  Bayard  had  called  our 
"  crazy-patch  "  system  of  currency,  he,  Senator  Gruff, 
was  willing  to  make  this  statement.  The  greenbacks, 
as  all  knew,  were  exempt  from  taxation.  To  discover 
how  far  greenbacks  and  their  exemption  had  been  made 
to  affect  the  whole  taxes  of  the  several  States,  he,  Sena 
tor  Gruff,  the  year  before  had  addressed  a  letter  to 
every  county  tax-gatherer  in  the  country.  He  had 
asked  each  to  state  the  amount  of  greenbacks  returned 
that  year  for  his  particular  county  as  exempt. 

"  I  received  a  reply,"  said  Senator  Gruff,  "  from 
every  county  auditor  between  Eastport  and  San  Diego, 
Vancouver's  and  the  Florida  Keys.  The  aggregate  of 
greenbacks  returned  exempt  for  that  one  year  was  over 
thirteen  billions  of  dollars,  while,  as  we  know,  the  entire 
amount  of  greenbacks  extant  in  the  country  is  but  a 
shadow  above  two  hundred  and  forty  millions.  I  shall 
make  no  comment  on  the  miracle,  and  cite  it  only  as  an 
incidental  expression  of  one  element  of  our  money  sys 
tem." 

Senator  Gruff,  continuing,  recurred  to  the  pushing 
forward  of  Senator  Hanway  as  a  Presidential  candi 
date.  It  was,  while  unexpected  by  him,  a  movement  so 
full  of  righteous  politics  that  he  confessed  heartfelt 
gratification  thereat.  Senator  Gruff  would  suggest 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S    319 

that  one  and  only  one  gentleman  among  those  present 
be  selected  to  furnish  the  story  to  the  press. 

"  In  that  way,"  explained  Senator  Gruff,  "  we  will 
escape  the  confusion  sure  to  be  the  consequence  should 
a  half-dozen  of  us  answer  inquiries." 

Senator  Gruff,  by  common  acclaim,  was  pitched  upon 
as  the  one  to  deal  with  the  papers. 

"  Why,  then,"  returned  Senator  Gruff,  with  a  quiz 
zical  eye,  "  I  foresaw  this  honorable  occasion  and  pre 
pared  for  it.  I  shall  give  what  we  have  done  to  the 
Daily  Tory,  whose  intelligent  representative  is  with  us 
as  a  guest."  And  thereupon  Senator  Gruff,  while  a 
smile  went  round  at  this  evidence  of  fullest  preparation 
for  the  unexpected,  a  smile  which  he  met  with  a  merry 
face,  drew  from  his  pocket  a  document  and  passed  it 
over  to  Richard.  In  another  moment  a  messenger  was 
called;  the  story  went  on  the  wire,  and  the  candidacy 
of  Senator  Hanway  was  formally  declared. 

Senator  Hanway,  as  the  dinner  neared  its  close,  pro 
posed  the  health  of  Mr.  Gwynn.  In  response,  that  re 
markable  man  filled  a  goblet  to  the  brim,  arose,  and 
bowed  with  gravity  and  condescension  to  Senator  Han 
way.  Everybody  stood  up,  and  Mr.  Gwynn's  health 
was  drunk  with  proper  solemnity. 

The  highbred  conduct  of  Mr.  Gwynn  from  the  begin 
ning  had  been  worthy  of  him  as  an  old-school  English 
gentleman.  He  said  nothing;  but  he  took  wine  with 


320  THE  PRESIDENT 

a  decorous  persistency  that  was  almost  pious  and  seemed 
like  a  religious  rite.  It  should  be  observed  that  while 
he  drank  twice  as  much  as  did  any  other  gentleman,  not 
excepting  Mr.  Harley  himself,  it  in  no  whit  altered  the 
stony  propriety  of  his  visage.  There  came  no  color  to 
his  cheek  ;  nor  did  the  piscatorial  eye  blaze  up,  but  abode 
as  pikelike  as  before.  Also,  with  every  bumper  Mr. 
Gwynn  became  more  rigid,  and  more  rigid  still,  as 
though  instead  of  wine  he  quaffed  libations  of  starch. 
Of  those  who  experienced  Mr.  Gwynn's  kingly  hospi 
tality  that  night  there  departed  none  who  failed  to  carry 
with  him  a  multiplied  respect  for  his  host — a  respect 
which  with  the  President  and  General  Attorney  of  the 
Anaconda  fair  mounted  to  veneration.  Altogether,  from 
the  standpoint  of  everyone  except  the  alarmed  Senator 
Coot,  the  affair  was  not  a  dinner,  but  a  victory. 

It  was  ten  o'clock  the  morning  after,  and  Richard 
had  just  reached  the  street.  From  across  the  way  came 
a  gentleman  wrho  apparently  had  been  waiting  for  him 
to  appear.  It  was  none  other  than  Mr.  Sands,  that 
warlike  printer  whom  Richard  rescued  from  the  Afri 
cans  and  set  to  work.  Richard  had  not  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  meeting  Mr.  Sands  since  bestowing  those  bene 
fits  upon  him. 

"  There  was  nothing  to  come  for,"  explained  Mr. 
Sands  when  Richard  mentioned  that  deprivation.  "  I 
wouldn't  bother  you  now,  only,  being  in  the  business, 


TALKING  POLITICS  AT  MR.  GWYNN'S 

I've  naturally  a  nose  for  news.  I  thought  I  might  put 
you  onto  a  scoop  for  the  Daily  Tory.  Would  a  com 
plete  copy,  verbatim,  of  the  coming  report  of  Senator 
Hanway's  committee  on  Northern  Consolidated  be  of 
any  service  to  you?  " 


CHAPTER  XV 

HOW    RICHARD    MET    INSPECTOR    VAL 

WHEN,  prior  to  the  hour  of  Mr.  Gwynn's 
dinner,  Richard  talked  with  Mr.  Bayard, 
the  burden  of  their  conversation  was 
Northern  Consolidated,  and  what  manner  of  report 
might  be  expected  from  Senator  Hanway's  committee. 
Mr.  Bayard  was  sure  the  members  of  the  osprey  pool 
designed  a  "  bear  "  campaign.  For  all  that,  he  could 
not  overstate  the  importance  of  getting  possession  of 
the  Hanway  report  the  moment  it  was  prepared.  Mr. 
Bayard's  belief  in  a  "  bear  "  movement  to  occur  was 
only  a  deduction ;  it  was  not  information — he  did  not 
know.  There  was  no  such  thing  as  being  positive  until 
the  written  report  was  in  Mr.  Bayard's  hands.  He 
would  then  have  absolute  knowledge  of  the  pool's  inten 
tions.  Once  clear  in  that  behalf,  he  would  be  able  to 
meet  and  defeat  them. 

"  Our  start,"  quoth  Mr.  Bayard,  "  will  be  the  Han- 
way  report.  Nor  can  we  come  by  that  report  too  soon. 
It  may  lie  buried  for  weeks  before  Senator  Hanway 
produces  it  in  open  Senate.  Its  production  will  take 

place  the  day  before  the  pool's  activities  begin.     It  will 

323 


HOW  RICHARD'  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     323 

be  deferred  until  the  market  in  its  strength  or  weakness 
favors  their  aims.  Wherefore,  my  young  friend,"  con 
cluded  Mr.  Bayard,  clapping  a  slim  hand  on  Richard's 
shoulder,  "  to  work !  That  report  is  the  key.  Every 
day  we  have  it  in  our  hands  before  it  is  read  in  the 
Senate  means  a  million  dollars." 

Mr.  Bayard  forced  upon  Richard  the  mighty  pro 
priety  of  getting  hold  of  Senator  Hanway's  report; 
and  Richard — to  whom  the  report  meant  Dorothy  the 
peerless,  not  paltry  millions — was  carried  to  the  impolite 
length  of  bringing  up  the  topic  of  Northern  Consoli 
dated  at  Mr.  Gwynn's  dinner.  Richard  asked  Senator 
Hanway  the  plump  question  of  the  committee's  labors, 
and  what  time  its  report  would  appear. 

"  The  sessions,"  said  Senator  Hanway,  who,  being 
about  his  departure,  was  getting  into  his  Inverness  at 
the  time,  "  are  still  in  progress.  It  will  be  several 
weeks  before  the  close  of  the  hearings.  Then  there 
must  be  time  for  deliberation ;  and  finally  a  day  or  more 
for  writing  the  report.  You  may  be  sure,  however," 
concluded  Senator  Hanway,  "  that  the  Daily  Tory  shall 
have  it  before  the  other  papers.  It  shall  be  an  exclu 
sive  story;  I  promise  you  that." 

And  the  next  day  comes  the  veracious  Mr.  Sands 
asking  whether  a  verbatim  copy  of  that  report  would 
be  of  service  to  him ! 

No  marvel  Richard  stared. 


324  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Because,"  observed  Mr.  Sands,  puffing  an  extremely 
repulsive  cigar,  "  I've  got  it  here." 

"  Do  you  mean  the  report  of  Senator  Hanway's  com 
mittee  that  is  investigating  Northern  Consolidated?  " 
cried  Richard. 

Mr.  Sands  tilted  his  derhy  over  a  confident  left  eye, 
blew  a  devastating  cloud,  and  said  he  did. 

"  It  was  only  last  night,"  observed  Richard,  still  bit 
ten  of  doubt,  "  that  Senator  Hanway  told  me  the  com 
mittee  had  not  ended  its  hearings." 

Mr.  Sands  of  the  malignant  cigar  was  not  discouraged. 
Senator  Hanway  had  lied.  All  Senators  lied,  according 
to  Mr.  Sands.  No  man  could  be  a  Senator  unless  he 
were  a  liar  any  more  than  a  man  could  be  a  runner 
without  first  being  able  to  walk.  The  committee  was 
through  with  the  inquiry ;  the  report  had  come  into 
the  Government  printing  office  the  day  before  in  the 
handwriting  of  the  truthless  Senator  Hanway  himself. 
It  was  now  set  up  in  types,  and  the  forethoughtful  Mr. 
Sands  had  abstracted  a  copy. 

"  As  I  said,"  explained  that  enterprising  printer, 
"  I've  got  a  nose  for  news.  I  thought  it  might  do  for 
a  scoop,  d'ye  see,  so  I  swiped  it  for  you." 

"  Let  me  look  at  it,"  said  Richard,  whose  pulses 
were  beginning  to  beat  a  quickstep.  He  was  remember 
ing  the  value  of  the  report  as  explained  by  Mr.  Bayard. 
"  Let  me  see  it,  please." 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     325 

Mr.  Sands  took  from  his  pocket  two  strips  of  paper. 
Richard  looked  at  one  and  then  the  other;  they  were 
white  as  snow,  guiltless  of  mark  or  sign  of  ink. 

"  There's  nothing  here,"  said  Richard,  the  thing  be 
ginning  to  be  mysterious. 

For  a  moment  Richard  feared  that  Mr.  Sands  might 
be  again  immersed  in  his  cups.  That  follower  of 
Franklin  reassured  him. 

"  The  report  is  there  all  right,"  he  observed,  "  only 
we  can't  read  it  out  here  in  the  light.  Now  if  we  could 
find  a  dark  room,  one  with  a  window,  I'd  show  you  what 
I  mean." 

Richard  returned  to  Mr.  Gwynn's.  Before  they  en 
tered  he  gave  Mr.  Sands  a  perfecto.  The  latter,  who 
knew  a  good  cigar  from  smoking  many  bad  ones,  threw 
away  the  devastator  and  lighted  Richard's.  He  rolled 
it  from  one  corner  of  his  mouth  to  the  other,  sucked  it 
tentatively,  then  passed  the  fire  end  beneath  his  nose 
after  the  manner  of  a  connoisseur.  His  experiments 
exhausted,  he  pronounced  it  a  "  corker." 

Richard  conveyed  Mr.  Sands  to  his  own  apartments. 
The  front  window  was  what  Mr.  Sands  required.  He 
pinned  the  slips  to  the  top  of  the  lower  sash.  As  the 
depended  slips  were  brought  with  their  backs  to  the 
light,  Mr.  Sands  showed  Richard  how  they  were  in  the 
nature  of  stencils,  the  white  light  showing  through  in 
printed  words.  Richard  was  dumb;  it  was  a  kind  of 


THE  PRESIDENT 

prodigy.     He  read  the  stencils,  beginning  at  the  top  of 
the  one  which  Mr.  Sands  said  was  the  "  lead." 

4  The    report    is    set    in    minion,"    explained    Mr. 
Sands,   "  and   with    this   light   you   can   read   it   plain 


as  ink." 


Richard  discovered  the  truth  of  what  Mr.  Sands 
averred;  here  indeed  was  Senator  Han  way's  Northern 
Consolidated  report,  and  as  readily  made  out  as  though 
printed  in  a  book. 

"  This  is  the  idea,"  vouchsafed  Mr.  Sands,  who  saw 
that  Richard  was  warm  for  explanations.  "  The  boss 
gave  out  the  report  in  little  '  takes  '  of  about  fifty 
words  each.  That  was  because  it  must  be  kept  secret. 
Fifty  printers  set  it  up;  then  the  boss  locked  the  gal 
leys  in  the  strong  room.  No  one  except  the  boss  himself 
had  had  a  glimpse  of  it.  Of  course,  that  made  me  the 
more  eager  to  nail  it ;  anything  a  fellow  wants  to  hide  is 
bound  to  be  big  news,  d'ye  see.  Now  I'm  the  man  who 
takes  the  proofs,  and  this  morning  the  boss  tells  me 
that  Senator  Hanway  wants  a  copy — one  proof,  no 
more.  The  boss  goes  to  the  strong  room  and  brings 
the  galleys  to  the  proof-press.  I'm  ready  for  him ;  I've 
dampened  two  sheets  of  proof-paper  and  pasted  them 
together.  I  spread  both  of  them  on  the  types.  After 
I've  sent  the  roller  over  them,  I  peel  the  sheets  apart 
and  throw  the  white  one,  the  one  that  was  on  top,  on 
the  floor.  The  bottom  one  that  has  the  ink-impression 


T  WAS  A  KIND  OF  PRODIGY 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL    327 

on  it  I  pass  to  the  boss.  He  sees  me  peel  the  top  sheet 
off,  and  it  rouses  his  suspicions. 

"  '  What's  that  for?  '  he  asks. 

"  I'm  filling  my  pipe  as  calm  as  duck-ponds,  and  ex 
plain  that  the  proof-press  in  which  the  galley  lies  is  too 
deep.  It  takes  two  thicknesses  to  force  the  sheet  down 
on  the  face  of  the  types  and  get  a  good  impression. 
The  boss  is  only  a  politician,  not  a  printer,  so  this  ex 
planation  does  him.  While  he's  locking  up  the  galleys 
again,  I  get  away  with  these.  You  see,  with  two  thick 
nesses  of  paper,  the  types  cut  through;  it  makes  a 
stencil  of  it.  With  a  little  light  behind,  the  stencil 
shows  up  as  well  as  a  regular  proof.  After  I'd  got 
organized,  I  took  a  day  off,  clapped  a  '  sub  '  on  my 
stool,  and  headed  for  you.  As  I've  said,  it  struck  me 
like  a  big  piece  of  news." 

"  It's  bigger  than  you  know,  Mr.  Sands,"  observed 
Richard,  giving  that  worthy's  hand  a  squeeze  that  made 
him  flinch.  "  If  you  don't  mind,  I'll  not  use  it  as  news. 
You  will  not  mention  the  fact,  but  there's  a  deal  on 
in  Wall  Street ;  I  can  do  better  with  it  there.  I  cannot 
thank  you  too  much  for  what  you've  done." 

Mr.  Sands  was  pleased,  and  departed  for  the  nearest 
rum  counter,  his  face  expressing  complacency.  He 
had  partly  evened  up,  he  said,  for  what  Richard  did  the 
night  that  he,  Mr.  Sands,  became  entangled  with  the 
Hottentots.  He,  Mr.  Sands,  would  lie  in  ambush  for 


{328  THE  PRESIDENT 

further  scoops ;  he  could  promise  Richard  everything  in 
the  Government  printing  office  which  any  statesman  was 
trying  to  conceal. 

Richard  drew  his  desk  before  the  window  and,  reading 
the  stencils  line  by  line,  made  a  perfect  copy.  As  his 
pen  swept  across  the  paper  he  reflected  on  the  deceitful- 
ness  of  Senator  Hamvay,  who,  with  the  report  written 
out  in  full,  was  for  having  him  think  that  the  committee 
would  not  conclude  its  labors  for  weeks. 

"  What  a  mendacious  ingratc  it  is !  "  thought  Rich 
ard. 

Mr.  Bayard  had  taken  the  ten-o'clock  limited  for 
New  York  that  identical  morning.  Richard  caught  a 
train  a  trifle  after  one,  wiring  Mr.  Bayard  to  meet  him 
at  the  hotel.  They  would  have  dinner  together.  To 
make  sure  of  Mr.  Bayard,  Richard's  message  read : 

"  I  have  that  report.     You  were  right." 

Mr.  Bayard  pored  over  the  Hanway  findings,  and 
the  further  he  read  the  more  his  satisfaction  stood  on 
tiptoe.  Conceive  a  gallery  hung  round  with  paintings 
that  would  baffle  a  Rubens  and  set  a  Murillo  to  biting 
the  nail  of  envy !  Have  an  orchestra  polished  to  the 
last  touch  of  execution,  discoursing  the  divinest  work 
of  some  highest  priest  of  music.  Sentinel  the  scene 
with  marbles  that  would  have  doubled  the  fame  of  a 
Praxiteles.  Now,  with  your  stage  set,  invite  to  its 
sumptuous  midst  some  amateur  of  all  the  arts  whose 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     329 

senses  were  born  for  the  beautiful.  Do  what  you  will 
to  endow  your  artist  with  contentment  in  perfection. 
Fill  his  pockets  with  gold,  give  him  wine  of  his  fancy, 
have  the  woman  he  loves  by  his  side,  so  surround  him 
that  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  stomach,  the  heart,  the  pocket, 
3r  whatever  is  the  soul  of  his  soul  may  be  appealed  to 
and  enthralled — this  artist,  with  whom  love  is  a  religion, 
wine  a  cult,  music  a  passion,  and  pictures  are  as  dreams ! 
When  you  have  him  thus  fortunately  established,  this 
artist  of  yours — for  you  are  not  to  forget  he  is  none 
of  mine — peruse  his  face.  You  should  find  it  express 
ing  ecstasy  in  sublimation — you  should  discover  it 
wearing  the  twin  to  that  look  which  mounted  the  brow 
of  Mr.  Bayard  as  he  devoured  the  Hanway  report. 

"  Beautiful !  "  he  whispered  when  he  had  finished. 

Then  he  fell  silent,  prisoner  to  himself,  walled  in  with 
his  own  thoughts.  A  moment  passed  and  the  clouds 
rolled  away ;  the  delight  faded,  and  this  artist  among 
gamblers  for  whom  speculation  possessed  harmony  and 
color  and  form,  and  whose  life  had  been  an  Odyssey  of 
Stocks,  recovered  the  practical. 

"  It  is  as  I  surmised,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh  of  content. 
"  They  will  fall  upon  Northern  Consolidated  bear- 
fashion — all  claw  and  tooth.  This  report  finds  the 
road  to  he  a  thief  for  millions ;  and  a  debtor  for  millions 
upon  that.  The  Attorney  General  must  collect.  The 
road  must  be  taken  by  a  receiver  until  the  public  is 


330  THE  PRESIDENT 

repaid — the  public  indeed !  Then  those  priceless  grants 
are  to  be  repealed.  Northern  Consolidated  is  to  be 
stabbed  with  a  score  of  knives  at  once.  Beautiful! 
What  a  trap  they  have  set  for  themselves !  " 

Richard,  not  knowing  what  reply  might  be  expected, 
smiled  to  fetch  his  countenance  into  sympathy  with 
Mr.  Bayard's,  and  retreated  to  his  usual  refuge  of  a 
cigar. 

"  Now,"  went  on  Mr.  Bayard  briskly,  "  I  can  give 
you  the  rougher  outlines  of  what  will  occur.  This  re 
port,  as  I  told  you,  may  be  weeks  in  finding  its  way 
into  the  Senate.  Stocks  opened  the  year  very  strong; 
the  markets  are  upon  an  up-grade.  While  the  boom 
continues,  the  pool  will  do  nothing.  The  moment  prices 
show  a  weakness  our  friends  will  act.  Given  three  days 
of  falling  prices,  this  report  will  come  out.  The  Sen 
ate  will  be  invoked  to  an  attack  upon  Northern  Con 
solidated.  The  pool  will  spring  upon  the  market,  right 
and  left,  selling  thousands  upon  thousands  of  shares. 
They  will  try  for  a  stampede.  They  look  to  drop 
Northern  Consolidated  twenty-five  points,  as  woodmen 
fell  a  tree." 

"  And  what  is  to  be  our  course?  "  asked  Richard. 

"  We  shall  buy  every  share  of  Northern  Consolidated 
as  fast  as  it  is  offered ;  go  with  them  to  the  end.  They 
will  find  themselves  in  their  own  net. 

"  Since  our  first  talk,"  Mr.  Bayard  continued,  "  I 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL 

have  been  gathering  information.  Of  the  one  million 
shares  which  form  the  stock  of  Northern  Consolidated, 
over  six  hundred  thousand  are  held  in  England,  France, 
Belgium,  Holland,  Germany,  Denmark,  and  even  a 
bundle  or  two  in  Sweden.  I  shall  keep  the  cables  warm 
to-morrow.  The  day  following,  our  agents  will  be 
quietly  buying  those  European  shares  at  private  sale 
in  London,  Paris,  Brussels,  Berlin,  Copenhagen,  Ham 
burg,  Stockholm,  wherever  they  are  to  be  found. 
Should  they  give  us  a  week,  we  shall  have  so  narrowed 
the  field  of  operations  for  our  '  bears  '  that  their  first 
day's  sales  will  land  them  in  a  corner.  Once  we  have 
them  penned,  we  may  take  our  time.  They  will  be  as 
helpless  as  so  many  caged  animals." 

When  Storri  on  that  jealous  evening  left  the  San 
Reve,  his  nerves  were  somewhat  tossed  and  shaken.  It 
was  not  over-late ;  he  would  stroll  to  the  club  by  round 
about  paths,  the  walk  and  cold  night  air  might  steady 
him. 

That  roundabout  route  led  Storri  past  the  Treasury 
Building,  and,  as  he  slowly  paced  the  pavement  border 
ing  one  side  of  the  massive  structure,  he  was  brought 
to  sudden  stop  by  a  heavy  timber  platform  six  feet 
square  and  lifted  a  foot  and  a  half  from  the  ground, 
which  cumbered  the  sidewalk  nearest  the  curb.  Storri 
surveyed  the  platform  in  a  lack-luster  way.  It  had, 


332  THE  PRESIDENT 

from  its  appearance,  been  there  years ;  it  was  strange 
he  had  never  noticed  it  before. 

An  old  man,  one  of  the  night  guards  of  the  Treasury, 
buttoned  to  the  chin,  was  standing  in  a  narrowish  base 
ment  doorway  of  the  great  building  not  fifteen  feet 
away.  The  old  man  took  his  pipe  out  of  his  mouth, 
and  seeing  Storri  survey  the  obstructing  platform,  ob 
served  : 

"  If  I  had  a  sack  or  two  of  the  billions  of  gold  that's 
been  dumped  on  that  platform,  I  wouldn't  be  smokin' 
my  pipe  'round  here  to-night." 

Gold  as  a  term  never  failed  to  attract  the  Storri  ear. 
He  opened  converse  with  the  old  man  of  the  pipe.  It 
was  to  this  heavy  platform  the  treasure-wagons  backed 
up  when  they  brought  bullion  to  the  Treasury.  Storri 
learned  another  thing  that  gave  him  the  sort  of  thrill 
that  setters  feel  when  in  the  near  vicinity  of  a  covey 
of  grouse.  The  vault  that  held  the  gold  reserve  was 
within  sixty  feet  of  him  as  he  stood  in  the  street.  Just 
inside  those  thick,  hopeless  walls  they  lay — millions  of 
piled-up  yellow  treasure.  Storri  stared  hard  at  the 
impassive  granite  and  licked  his  lips.  The  nearness  of 
those  millions  pleased  him  like  music. 

"  Sixty  feet !  "  exclaimed  Storri  unctuously.  "  That 
doesn't  sound  far,  but  before  a  robber  pierced  such  a 
wall  as  that  he  would  fancy  it  far  enough." 

"  Oh,  a  robber  wouldn't  try  the  wall,"  said  the  old 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL 

man,  turning  to  look  at  it.  "  I've  often  wondered 
though  that  no  one  ever  thought  of  the  sewer  out 
there ;  "  and  the  old  man  marked  a  line  in  the  air  with 
his  pipe-stem  as  though  tracing  the  direction  of  the 
great  street  drain  that  ran  beneath  the  pavement. 

Storri  kept  on  his  journey  to  the  club,  but  the  notion 
of  those  millions,  almost  within  hand's  touch  of  the  open 
street,  continued  to  haunt  him  pleasantly.  The  sewer, 
too!  Would  a  tunnel  reach  this  treasure?  The  ques 
tion  used  to  come  back  upon  Storri.  Also  he  got  into 
the  habit,  as  he  went  about  the  streets,  of  walking  by 
the  Treasury.  This  was  not  offspring  of  any  purpose ; 
Storri  had  none.  It  was  only  that  he  took  an  instinctive 
satisfaction  in  the  nearness  of  that  heaped-up  gold. 
He  could  feel  its  close  neighborhood,  and  the  feeling 
was  as  wine  to  his  imagination. 

Storri  was  not  permitted  respite  by  the  San  Reve 
concerning  the  Harlcys.  The  jealous  one  of  the  green- 
gray  eyes  insisted  upon  seeing  Storri  often;  and  he, 
putting  on  a  best  face,  pretended  that  he  loved  the  San 
Reve  the  better  for  her  jealousy.  To  keep  the  peace, 
he  was  wont  to  drop  round  to  Grant  Place  three  or  four 
times  a  week. 

These  concessions  to  the  San  Reve  and  her  rather  too 
fervid  love  would  not  get  in  the  way  of  Storri's  dinners 
at  the  Harleys'.  For  a  time  he  should  go  there  but 
once  a  week.  When  despair  had  chilled  Dorothy  to 


334  THE  PRESIDENT 

tameness  he  would  go  oftener.  Just  then  he  must  give 
her  terrors  opportunity  to  do  their  freezing  work. 

Storri  could  not  have  told  whether  he  loved  or  hated 
Dorothy;  he  was  only  conscious  of  a  fire-fed  passion 
that  consumed  him.  He  must  possess  her;  or,  if  not 
that,  then  he  must  grind  her  into  the  earth.  He  would 
torture  her  as  he  was  tortured ;  he  would  blacken  her 
by  blackening  Mr.  Harlcy;  with  her  pride  in  the  dirt, 
with  disgrace  upon  her,  where  then  was  that  man  who 
would  wed  her?  The  daughter  of  a  forger — she  would 
stain  the  name  of  wife !  Richard  might  have  her  then ; 
Storri  would  give  her  to  him  for  a  revenge!  These 
were  the  mutterings  of  Storri  as  he  went  preyed  upon 
by  love  and  hate  at  once. 

"  If  you  do  not  love  Miss  Harley,"  said  the  flushed 
but  logical  San  Reve,  "  why  do  you  go  there?  You 
say,  '  Once  a  week ! '  Why  once  a  week  ?  Why  once 
a  month?  Why  at  any  time?  Storri,  you  do  love  her! 
And  you  come  to  me  with  lies !  "  This  was  on  the  even 
ing  following  the  scene  that  gave  Storri  such  disquiet. 

Storri,  being  spurred,  and  resolute  to  silence  the  San 
Reve,  took  that  pertinacious  beauty  into  his  confidence, 
lying  wherever  it  was  inconvenient  to  tell  the  truth,  and 
bragging  always  like  a  Cheyenne.  Storri  strode  about 
the  San  Reve's  rooms  and  told  his  tale  grandly.  His 
San  Reve  must  listen ;  he  would  show  her  how  a  Russian 
gentleman  avenged  himself.  He,  Storri,  hated  the 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     335 

ITarleys.  Mr.  Harley  had  cheated  him;  Dorothy  had 
laughed  at  him;  her  lover,  that  Richard,  bah!  he  had 
even  threatened  Storri.  Chastise  him?  Could  a  noble 
man  chastise  a  toad — a  reptile?  No ;  there  was  a  debt 
due  his  caste. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley? — a  vapid  fool!  Storri  de 
spised  her.  He  despised  them  all  and  hated  them  all. 
They  had  aff rented  him.  And  for  those  injuries  done 
his  pride  he  would  punish  and  spare  not.  He,  Storri, 
would  bring  sorrow  and  shame  to  them ;  he  would  mark 
their  lives  with  black. 

Being  launched,  Storri  drew  great  joy  from  the  re 
hearsal  of  what  griefs  he  had  devised  against  the  Har- 
leys.  To  prove  his  own  superior  cleverness,  Storri  told 
the  San  Reve  how  he  trapped  Mr.  Harley  into  forging 
his  name  to  the  French  shares. 

"  There  is  my  weapon !  "  cried  the  triumphant  Storri. 
"  With  that  I  may  smite  them  when  I  choose !  To 
morrow,  within  the  hour,  I  could  have  this  scoundrel 
Harley  in  a  criminal's  cell!  Some  day  I  shall  do  that. 
Meanwhile,  he  knows ;  the  proud  girl  knows.  It  is  for 
vengeance  I  go  to  the  Harleys',  my  San  Reve,  not  love. 
I  sit  at  their  table,  I  eat  their  food,  I  drink  their  wine ; 
and  I  laugh  and  I  gloat  over  them — these  little  people ! 
Yes,  my  San  Reve,  the  hand  of  the  coward  Harley 
shakes  as  he  lifts  his  glass;  the  fair,  proud  Dorothy 
shows  me  my  triumph  in  her  whitened  cheek  and  fright- 


336  THE  PRESIDENT 

ened  eye.  And  best  of  all,  the  empty  chatter  of  the 
magpie  Mrs.  Hanway-Harlev — who  knows  nothing, 
heing  a  fool !  It  is  that  magpie  chatter  to  be  poison 
in  the  ears  of  the  others !  Oh,  you  should  behold  them, 
my  San  Revc!  You  should  witness  how  they  writhe 
and  how  they  tremble  in  the  presence  of  your  Storri !  " 

The  San  Reve  listened,  but  the  gloom  hung  low  on 
her  brow.  She  did  not  believe  her  Storri  who  said  he 
ate  a  weekly  dinner  for  revenge.  Yes,  he  had  obtained 
a  mastery  over  Mr.  Harley ;  he  had  forced  his  way  into 
the  company  of  Dorothy  and  shut  the  door  on  Richard ! 
The  San  Reve  shook  her  jealous  head ;  that  was  not 
vengeance,  that  was  love. 

And  Storri  would  succeed,  too !  This  Dorothy  would 
come  to  love  him  as  she,  the  San  Reve,  loved.  Dorothy 
was  a  woman;  and  what  woman  could  resist  Storri? 
This  Dorothy  loved  him  even  now ;  her  coldness  was  an 
attitude,  a  fiction.  It  was  meant  to  be  a  lure  to  Storri 
and  whet  his  eagerness ! 

These  were  the  thoughts  like  living  coals  which  the 
San  Reve  hid  in  her  heart.  But  while  her  head  whirled, 
and  her  sight  was  blurred,  and  her  pulses  set  a-throb 
with  the  jealous  storms  that  swept  her,  it  was  wonderful 
to  note  how  the  San  Reve's  office-trained  mind  seized 
upon  and  registered  those  French  shares.  It  was  those 
shares  that  constituted  Storri's  hold  upon  the  Harleys. 
Could  she  break  the  hold?  Those  shares  were  the  locks 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     337 

of  her  Samson.  Oh,  if  she  might  but  shear  the  locks! 
Then  she  would  have  her  Storri  again — in  his  weakness 
she  would  have  him.  The  San  Reve  knitted  her  brows. 

These  days  of  separation  were  more  easily  borne  by 
Richard  than  by  Dorothy.  Richard  was  rich  in  a 
dogged  fortitude  common  enough  with  men.  More 
over,  he  had  his  work,  and  he  went  into  it  more  deeply 
than  before.  Eleven  o'clock  still  found  him  in  the 
study  with  Senator  Hanway,  albeit  Dorothy  was  no 
longer  there  to  make  a  lovely  third.  Perhaps  for  that 
reason  more  politics  and  news  of  legislation  were  dis 
cussed  by  Richard  and  Senator  Hanway. 

The  latter  gentleman,  these  days,  was  in  the  best  of 
tempers.  Nothing  could  be  more  smoothly  hopeful 
than  the  outlook  for  that  nomination.  Senator  Gruff, 
who  was  indefatigable  for  Senator  Hanway,  told  him 
that  Speaker  Frost  reported  his  own  State  delegation  as 
already  in  line.  Also  the  President  of  the  Ana 
conda,  from  whom  Senator  Gruff  had  letters  every 
week,  described  the  Hanway  sentiment  in  Anaconda 
regions  as  invincible.  The  National  Convention,  in  the 
interests  of  Senator  Hanway  and  over  the  objection  of 
the  friends  of  Governor  Obstinate,  had  been  fixed  for  the 
last  of  May.  This  was  a  help;  Senator  Hanway's 
forces  were  organized  and  Governor  Obstinate's  were 
not.  The  less  space  permitted  that  candidate  and  his 


338  THE  PRESIDENT 

henchmen,  the  better  for  Senator  Hanway.  As  Senator 
Gruff  and  Richard  sat  together  in  Senator  Hanway's 
study  one  morning,  the  Senator  pointed  out  on  the  map 
a  sufficient  number  of  States,  and  each  certain  to  send  a 
Hanway  delegation,  to  carry  the  nomination. 

"  If  the  convention  were  held  to-morrow,"  observed 
Senator  Gruff,  "  we  would  win.  The  effort  now  must 
be  to  head  off  encroachments  by  Governor  Obstinate." 

The  above  came  on  an  occasion  when  Senator  Gruff 
was  in  a  confidential  mood.  Commonly,  as  a  chief 
Hanway  manager,  he  lay  as  blandly  close  and  non 
committal  as  a  clam. 

There  was  the  issue  of  finance,  Senator  Gruff  ex 
plained,  and  that  was  a  growing  source  of  trouble  to 
Senator  Hanway.  The  latter  gentleman's  endeavor 
had  always  been  to  say  nothing  upon  finance,  but  silence 
was  becoming  difficult.  Governor  Obstinate  was  openly 
and  offensively  for  gold  in  a  sod-pawing,  horn-lower 
ing,  threatening  way,  and  just  as  a  buffalo  bull  might 
have  been  for  gold.  This  settled  the  standing  of  Gov 
ernor  Obstinate  in  silver  communities ;  they  would  have 
none  of  him.  Those  same  silver  people,  however,  de 
manded  all  the  more  that  Senator  Hanway  define  his 
position  in  the  money  war.  They  gave  tongue  to  those 
pig-and-poke  objections  voiced  by  Senator  Coot.  It 
was  clamors  such  as  these,  so  Senator  Gruff  told  Rich 
ard,  that  made  silence  a  work  of  weariness. 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     339 

"Now  I  thought,"  observed  Richard,  "that  Mr. 
Bayard  talked  wisely  upon  silver  and  gold  the  evening 
of  the  dinner.  Why  wouldn't  it  be  well  to  talk  to  the 
people  in  the  same  manner  even  if  one  did  not  adopt 
the  theories  expressed?  Let  Senator  Hanway  clearly 
announce  his  views  and  give  his  reasons.  The  latter 
should  defend  him  with  thinking  men." 

"  Thinking  men,"  retorted  Senator  Gruff  with  an 
experienced  smile,  "  are  in  a  hopeless  minority.  Talk 
reason  to  the  public?  One  might  as  well  talk  reason 
to  the  winds.  Politics,  as  a  science,  is  not  addressed 
to  the  intelligence  but  to  the  ignorance  of  men." 

Senator  Hanway,  after  sundry  conferences  with 
Senator  Gruff  and  others,  offered  the  resolution  asking 
for  a  committee  to  meet  with  the  Ottawa  government  on 
the  matter  of  that  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal.  The 
majority  opinion  of  those  consulted  was  that  the  reso 
lution  ought  to  strengthen  Senator  Hanway.  Certain 
railways  might  object;  there  were  influences  infinitely 
larger,  however,  that  would  applaud.  Besides,  the  reso 
lution  had  a  big  look  and  sounded  like  statesmanship. 
It  could  not  do  otherwise  than  dignify  Senator  Hanway 
in  public  estimation.  Senator  Hanway  gave  Richard 
for  the  Dally  Tory  an  interview  of  depth  and  power  in 
which  he  urged  the  international  value  of  such  a  water 
way.  America  and  Canada  should  dig  and  own  it  to 
gether;  it  would  be  a  bond  to  unite  them.  It  would 


THE  PRESIDENT 

promote  friendship,  and  what  was  better  than  friend 
ship  between  countries?  Senator  Hanway  said  nothing 
about  Credit  Magellan,  nor  did  he  intimate  any  rela 
tionship  between  his  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal  and 
the  investigation  of  Northern  Consolidated. 

Storri  had  become  very  fond  of  the  company  of  Mr. 
Harley.  He  would  find  him  in  the  Marble  Room  in  the 
rear  of  the  Senate  Chamber,  or  he  might  cross  his  path 
at  Chamberlin's.  Washington  is  a  small  town ;  there 
it  is  not  difficult  to  keep  a  man  in  sight.  Storri  kept 
Mr.  Harley  excessively  in  sight ;  and  it  wore  visibly  on 
Mr.  Harley,  whose  health  was  breaking  down.  Storri 
liked  the  pain  his  presence  gave  Mr.  Harley;  and  be 
sides,  he  argued  that  to  see  him  frequently  strengthened 
his  hold  upon  that  unhappy  man.  When  they  were 
together,  Storri's  manner  was  hideously  cheerful ;  he 
would  talk  Credit  Magellan  and  consider  Northern 
Consolidated  as  though  nothing  were  awry.  This  was 
the  refinement  of  cruelty,  as  when  a  cat  pretends  to  let 
the  mouse  escape. 

One  day,  when  Storri  and  Mr.  Harley  were  together, 
the  former's  face  was  purposely  dark.  Mr.  Harley 
grew  uneasy ;  his  courage  had  all  slipped  from  him  by 
now,  and  he  waited  in  terror  upon  the  looks  of  Storri. 

"  Harley,"  cried  Storri,  having  sufficiently  enjoyed 
the  effect  of  his  scowls,  "  you  John  Harley,  I  have  ever 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     341 

your  credit  at  heart.  Yes,  Harley,  I  have  kept  a 
guard,  what  you  call  a  spy,  about  your  house  to  see  if 
the  vile  Storms  would  enter  when  you  were  not  there 
to  repel  him.  He  goes  each  day,  I  find,  to  see  the 
honorable  Senator  Hanway.  It  does  not  please  me, 
who  am  a  Russian  gentleman  and  a  nobleman,  that  so 
low  a  being,  although  he  does  not  personally  meet  her, 
should  yet  come  beneath  the  same  roof  with  your  lovely 
daughter  who  is  to  become  my  Countess  wife.  You 
wrill  correct  this  ;  eh,  you  Harley — you  John  Harley  ?  " 

Mr.  Harlcj  had  not  named  Storri  to  Dorothy  since 
that  awful  New  Year's  night.  However,  so  worn  to 
abject  thinness  was  now  his  spirit  on  the  constant 
wheel  of  fear  that  he  carried  Storri's  latest  word  to 
her  without  apology.  Richard  must  not  visit  Senator 
Hanway  in  his  study.  Mr.  Harley  could  not  go  to 
Senator  Hanway,  he  could  not  go  to  Richard ;  he  could 
come  only  to  her. 

Dorothy,  whose  trembling  concern  was  her  father, 
and  who  felt  ever  more  and  more  like  some  fly  caught 
fast  in  a  spider's  web,  made  no  reply.  There  was 
nothing  to  say — nothing  save  obedience.  She  wrote 
Richard  that  Storri  had  set  a  spy  upon  the  house,  and 
asked  him  to  forego  his  calls  upon  Senator  Hanway. 
The  close  of  the  letter  was  a  hysteria  of  love  and  grief. 

Richard  sought  Bess ;  he  saw  much  of  the  pythoness 
now.  Dorothy,  for  her  part,  never  crossed  the  street 


342  THE  PRESIDENT 

lest  she  meet  him,  and  bring  down  Storri's  wrath 
upon  her  father.  Richard  knew  what  Bess  would  say, 
but  he  must  have  someone  to  converse  with.  Bess  took 
the  course  anticipated:  he  must  obey  Dorothy  in  this 
as  in  the  rest. 

"  It  comes  to  little  either  way,  the  calling  upon 
Senator  Hanway,"  was  Bess's  comment. 

"  It  comes  to  this,"  cried  Richard,  "  that  we  are 
the  slaves  of  Storri !  I'd  give  ten  years  off  my  life  if  he 
and  I  might  settle  this  together." 

"  The  real  settlement  would  be  made  by  Mr.  Harley 
—by  Dorothy.  You  must  not  go  near  Storri.  But  isn't 
there  a  hint  in  this?  "  Bess  considered.  "  Would  it  not 
be  wise  to  imitate  the  gentleman  and  set  a  spy  to  dog 
ging  him?  Perhaps  something  worth  while  might  be 
discovered." 

The  thought  found  favor  with  Richard,  who,  under 
usual  circumstances,  would  have  been  against  the  pro 
posal.  Yes,  he  would  have  Storri  shadowed  day  and 
night.  It  would  be  a  retort  for  that  spy  about  the 
Harley  house. 

Richard  sent  a  message  to  Mr.  Bayard,  reciting  his 
determination  and  asking  advice.  He  desired  to  do 
nothing  that  might  work  an  interference  in  Mr.  Bay 
ard's  arrangements  concerning  Northern  Consolidated. 

Mr.  Bayard  replied  that  he  thought  a  better  knowl 
edge  of  Storri  could  do  no  harm ;  news  of  the  enemy 


HOW  RICHARD  MET  INSPECTOR  VAL     343 

was  ever  a  good  thing.  Mr.  Bayard  went  a  step  be 
yond,  and  said  that  he  would  send  a  man  to  Richard 
whom  he  could  trust  for  the  work. 

The  morning  following  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Bayard's 
message,  a  foppish,  slender  young  gentleman  accosted 
Richard. 

"Mr.  Storms,  I  believe?"  remarked  the  foppish 
stranger,  lifting  his  hat. 

"Yes,  sir;  Mr.  Storms,"  said  Richard. 

"  Mr.  Bayard  asked  me  to  say  that  I  am  Inspector 
Val  of  the  Central  Office,  New  York,  with  two  months' 
leave  of  absence  at  your  service." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

HOW    RICHARD    RECEIVED    A    LETTER 

INSPECTOR  VAL  did  not  resemble  the  detective 
officer  of  literature.  His  foppishness  arose  from 
an  over-elegance  of  costume  rather  than  any 
violence  of  color.  The  famous  thief-taker  might  have 
stood  for  what  was  latest  in  fashionable  dress,  with 
every  detail  of  hat  and  glove  and  cravat  and  boot 
worked  out.  There  befell  no  touch  of  vulgarity;  the 
effect  was  as  retiringly  genteel  as  though  the  taste  pro 
viding  it  belonged  to  a  Howard  or  a  Vcrc  dc  Vcrc  and 
based  itself  upon  ten  unstained  centuries  of  patrician- 
ism.  When  he  lifted  his  hat,  one  might  see  that 
the  dark  hair,  speciously  waved,  was  as  accurately 
parted  in  the  middle  as  though  the  line  had  been  run  by 
an  engineer.  The  voice  of  Inspector  Val,  low  and  lazy, 
fell  on  the  ear  as  plausibly  soft  as  the  ripple  of  a  brook. 
His  eyes  wore  a  sleepy,  intolerant  expression,  as  if  tired 
with  much  seeing  and  inclined  to  resent  the  infliction  of 
further  spectacles.  The  nose  was  thin  and  high,  and 
jaw  and  cheek  bones  were  thin  and  high  to  be  in  sym 
pathy. 

There  were  two  impressions  furnished  the  student  of 

344 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     345 

faces  by  Inspector  Val.  Glanced  at  carelessly,  one 
would  have  called  him  not  more  than  twenty-five;  a 
second  and  a  sharper  survey  showed  him  fifteen  years 
older.  Also,  there  came  now  and  then  a  look,  quiet 
at  once  and  quick,  which  was  calculated  to  arrest  the 
trained  attention.  What  one  thought  following  that 
second  sharp  canvass  was  in  exact  opposition  to  what 
one  thought  after  the  glance  earlier  and  more  upon  the 
casual. 

Inspector  Val  baffled  Richard's  conception  of  the 
man  concerning  whom  all  who  read  papers  had  heard 
so  much.  Was  this  indolent  individual  that  inveterate 
man-hunter  who,  with  courage  of  berserk  and  strength 
of  steel,  had  pulled  down  his  quarrjr  in  the  midst  of 
desperate  criminals,  and  then,  victim  in  clutch,  cleared 
his  path  through?  Something  of  this  may  have  glim 
mered  in  Richard's  eye ;  if  so,  Inspector  Val  assumed 
to  have  no  hint  of  it,  and  busied  himself  in  a  more 
precise  adjustment  of  his  boutonniere,  which  floral 
adornment  had  become  disarranged.  The  longer  Rich 
ard  contemplated  Inspector  Val  the  more  he  felt  his 
whalebone  sort.  The  slim  form  and  sleepy  eyes  began 
to  suggest  that  activity  and  ferocious  genius  for  pur 
suit  which  arc  the  first  qualities  of  a  ferret. 

"  If  we  could  be  more  private,"  suggested  Inspector 
Val,  casting  a  tired  glance  about  the  big  public  room 
at  Willard's  where  the  two  had  met. 


346  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  We  will  go  to  my  house,"  replied  Richard. 

"  And  if  you  don't  mind,  we'll  ride."  This  with  the 
rising  inflection  of  a  request.  "  There  are  carriages 
at  the  door." 

"  My  own,"  said  Richard,  "  should  be  across  the 
way.  I  seldom  require  it ;  but  I  might,  and  so  it  follows 
me  about." 

Richard  and  Inspector  Val  stepped  to  the  Fourteenth 
Street  door.  At  Richard's  lifted  hand  an  olive-tinted 
brougham,  coachman  and  footman  liveried  to  match, 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  restless  bay  horses,  came  plung 
ing  to  the  curb.  The  footman  swung  down  in 
three  motions,  like  a  soldier  about  some  point  of 
drill. 

"Home!"  said  Richard. 

The  footman  in  three  motions  regained  his  perch ;  the 
whip  cracked  and  the  brougham  went  plunging  off  for 
Mr.  Gwynn's. 

Richard  came  to  the  common-sense  conclusion  to  lay 
the  complete  story  of  his  perplexities  before  Inspector 
Val.  A  detective  was  so  much  like  a  doctor  that  frank 
ness  would  be  worth  while.  One  was  called  to  cure  the 
health,  the  other  to  cure  a  situation ;  the  more  one  told 
either  scientist  the  faster  and  better  he  could  work. 
Acting  on  this  thought,  Richard  related  all  there  was 
to  tell  of  himself,  Dorothy,  Mr.  Harley,  and  Storri, 
being  full  as  to  his  exclusion  from  the  Harley  house 


THAT  ARTIST  OF  1'rksrrr 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     347 

and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  brought  about.  When 
he  had  finished,  he  waited  for  Inspector  Val. 

That  artist  of  pursuit  did  not  speak  at  once,  and 
asked  permission  to  smoke  a  cigarette.  Richard  offered 
no  objection,  although  he  privily  contemned  cigarettes 
as  implying  the  effeminate.  Inspector  Val  lighted  one, 
and  blew  the  smoke  thoughtfully  through  the  thin,  high 
nose.  Suddenly  he  threw  the  cigarette  away  half 
smoked;  it  had  served  the  purpose  of  its  appear 
ance.  Inspector  Val  had  smoked  himself  into  a  con 
clusion. 

"  This  is  the  way  the  thing  strikes  me,"  began  In 
spector  Val.  "  Storri,  as  you  say,  has  a  hold  on  Mr. 
Harley — has  him  frightened.  There  are  three  ways 
to  frighten  a  man ;  you  can  threaten  him  physically,  or 
with  disgrace,  or  with  the  loss  of  money.  Storri,  by 
your  report,  is  a  coward  with  not  half  the  courage  of 
Mr.  Harley ;  besides,  in  this  case,  a  physical  threat  is 
out  of  the  question.  So  is  a  threat  of  money  loss ;  it  is 
preposterous  to  suppose  that  this  half-baked  Russian 
has  got  the  upper  hand  in  a  business  way  of  a  shrewd 
one  like  Mr.  Harley,  or  that  the  latter  would  permit 
him  to  drive  him  about  like  a  dog  if  he  had.  No,  Storri 
has  caught  Mr.  Harley  in  some  wrong-doing,  or,  what 
is  as  bad,  the  appearance  of  it — something  that  looks 
like  crime.  Doubtless  it  refers  to  money,  as  from  Mr. 
Harley's  sort  it  isn't  likely  to  include  a  woman." 


348  THE  PRESIDENT 

Inspector  Val  was  here  interrupted  by  Matzai,  who 
said  in  excuse  that  the  note  he  bore  was  marked  "  im 
portant." 

"  Open  it,"  observed  Inspector  Val.  "  Once  in  one 
thousand  times  a  letter  marked  '  important '  is  impor 
tant." 

Richard  cut  the  envelope  with  a  paper  knife  and, 
after  silently  running  the  missive  up  and  down,  re 
marked  : 

"  This  note  works  into  our  conversation  as  though 
timed  to  find  us  together.  I'll  read  it  to  you.  It's  in 
French,  and  if  you  aren't  familiar  with  that  language 
I'll  translate." 

Inspector  Val  said  that  he  preferred  a  translation, 
and  Richard  gave  him  the  following.  The  address  and 
the  entire  note  were  in  typewriting: 

MR.  STORMS: 

Count  Storri's  hold  on  Mr.  Harley  consists  in  this : 
Mr.  Harley  wrote  Count  Storri's  name  on  five  stock 
certificates  aggregating  two  hundred  shares  of  the 
Company  Provence  of  Paris,  France.  It  was  done  to 
borrow  money,  but  with  honest  intentions  and  at  Count 
Storri's  request.  Now  Count  Storri,  who  has  the  shares 
in  his  possession,  threatens  Mr.  Harley  with  a  charge 
of  forgery.  In  that  way  he  compels  him  to  do  his 
bidding.  The  man  who  writes  you  this  does  not  do  it 

for  your  interest,  but  for 

His  OWN. 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     349 

"  This  did  not  come  through  the  mails,"  said 
Inspector  Val.  "  Ask  your  man  who  handed  it 
in." 

Matzai  said  that  the  note  was  not  handed  in,  but 
thrust  beneath  the  door.  The  bell  had  been  rung ;  when 
the  door  was  opened  no  one  appeared.  The  note  was 
lying  in  the  entry. 

"  Will  you  mind,"  said  Inspector  Val,  "  if  I  call  a 
man  from  across  the  street  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Richard,  somewhat  aston 
ished. 

Inspector  Val  stepped  to  the  window.  Over  the  way 
a  man  was  sauntering,  for  all  the  world  like  a  sightseer 
from  out  of  town.  He  was  admiring  the  stately  resi 
dences,  and  seemed  interested  particularly  in  Mr. 
Gwynn's.  Inspector  Val  made  a  slight  signal,  and  the 
sightseer  came  over  and  rang  Mr.  Gwynn's  bell. 

"  Have  him  up,"  said  Inspector  Val  to  Richard. 
Then,  as  the  sightseer  was  marshaled  into  the  room  by 
Matzai :  "  Mr.  Storms,  this  is  Mr.  England." 

Mr.  England's  eye  was  bright  and  quick  like  a  bird's ; 
with  that  exception  he  was  commonplace.  Inspector 
Val,  without  wasting  time,  began  to  ask  questions: 

"  Who  shoved  this  note  under  the  door?  " 

"  A  colored  man,  sir.  He  sneaked  up  and  tucked  it 
beneath  the  door  as  though  trying  not  to  be  caught 
at  it.  Then  he  pushed  the  bell  and  skipped.  The  thing 


350  THE  PRESIDENT 

looked  queer,  and  Mr.  Duff  thought  he'd  follow  him. 
He'll  be  back,  Mr.  Duff  will,  presently." 

"  That  will  do,"  said  Inspector  Val.  "  When  Mr. 
Duff  returns,  tell  him  to  come  in." 

Mr.  England  withdrew,  and  recommenced  his  sight 
seeing  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 

"  Mr.  England  and  Mr.  Duff,"  explained  Inspector 
Val,  "  came  down  with  me.  I  shall  use  them  to  shadow 
Storri,  as  that  kind  of  work  is  their  specialty.  It  is 
difficult  work,  too,  and  demands  a  man  who  has  talents 
for  seeing  without  being  seen.  Also,  he  must  be  sharp 
to  think  and  act,  and  full  of  enterprise.  To  keep  at 
the  heels  of  a  gentleman  who  may  take  a  cab,  or  a 
street-car,  or  enter  a  building  by  one  door  for  the  pur 
pose  of  leaving  it  by  another,  is  no  simple  task;  so  I 
brought  with  me  the  best  in  the  business." 

"  How  did  your  men  come  to  be  outside  the  door?  " 
asked  Richard,  whose  curiosity  concerning  metropolitan 
detective  methods  had  been  sensibly  aroused. 

"  To  save  delay,"  returned  Inspector  Val,  "  which  is 
the  great  rule  in  detective  work.  They  were  within 
ten  feet  of  us  when  I  met  you ;  they  saw  us  drive  away, 
called  a  coupe,  and  followed.  I  should  have  given  them 
a  jacketing  if  they  hadn't." 

Inspector  Val  asked  Richard  to  slowly  translate 
the  note,  while  he  made  a  copy  in  English.  This  Rich 
ard  did;  at  the  close,  being  interested  in  the  workings 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     351 

of  the  man-hunting  mind,  he  asked  Inspector  Val  for 
his  theory  of  its  truth  and  origin. 

"  Why,  then,"  observed  Inspector  Val,  pausing  over 
Richard's  translation  as  he  had  written  it  down,  "  this 
would  be  my  surmise.  The  note  tells  the  truth.  It  was 
written  by  a  Frenchwoman  who  probably  came  from 
Ottawa.  She  is  in  love  with  Storri,  and  jealous  of 
Miss  Harley,  whom  she  thinks  Storri  aims  to  marry. 
You  said  nothing  about  Storri  seeing  Miss  Harley,  but 
he  does.  Miss  Marklin  was  afraid  to  tell  you  and  Miss 
Harley  was  afraid  to  write  you  that  feature  of  the 
situation,  fearing  you  would  pitch  in  rough.  It  shows 
they  have  sense." 

This  was  the  first  time  Richard  had  heard  how  Storri 
enjoyed  the  privilege  of  Dorothy's  society  while  he  was 
warned  from  the  door.  The  thought  was  fire.  He  sprang 
to  his  feet,  growling  an  oath  under  his  breath. 

"  Take  it  easy,"  said  Inspector  Val,  with  a  manner 
full  of  warning.  "  Don't  spoil  a  game  just  as  the 
cards  begin  to  run  your  way.  After  we  get  our  hands 
upon  those  French  shares  you  may  raise  what  row  you 
like.  But  take  it  easy  now ;  try  another  cigar." 

The  prudent  sagacity  of  Inspector  Val  was  not 
thrown  away,  and  Richard  saw  the  force  of  that  gentle 
man's  arguments. 

"  Tell  me  how  you  arrive  at  those  beliefs  about  the 
note,"  said  Richard. 


352  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  That's  not  so  simple,"  returned  Inspector  Val. 
"  It's  like  asking  a  pointer  to  tell  you  how  he  scents  a 
partridge.  My  argument  takes  somewhat  this  route: 
I  think  the  note  tells  the  truth,  as  there's  no  reason 
why  it  should  lie.  Moreover,  it  is  a  reasonable  explana 
tion  of  Storri's  command  over  Mr.  Harley.  I  know  a 
woman  wrote  it  because  she's  at  such  pains  to  call  her 
self  a  man.  Another  thing,  a  man  wouldn't  have 
marked  this  note  '  Important ! '  It's  important,  but  it 
gains  no  advantage  from  being  labeled.  A  woman,  who 
acts  from  feeling,  marks  it  '  important '  because  she  feels 
its  importance.  Now  a  man  might  feel  its  importance, 
but  he  acts  from  reason  rather  than  feeling,  and  in  that 
respect  is  the  antithesis  of  a  woman.  It  would  never 
occur  to  a  man  to  mark  the  note  '  important,'  because 
it  would  never  occur  to  him  that  by  so  doing  anything 
would  be  gained.  Then  a  man  would  have  sent  this 
through  the  post  office.  A  man  is  more  cunning  than 
a  woman.  The  ir.ails  would  have  served  as  well,  and  a 
messenger  might  be  recognized  and  followed.  To  send 
messengers  is  essentially  a  trick  of  the  feminine.  Your 
District  Messenger  Service  will  tell  you  that  nine-tenths 
of  its  calls  are  from  women." 

"  You  have  read  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  I  take  it,"  ob 
served  Richard,  smiling  over  the  processes  of  Inspector 
Val. 

"  I've  read  Poe,  Gaboriau,   and   Conan  Doyle,"   re- 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER 

turned  Inspector  Val ;  "  all  detectives  have.  They  are 
amusing  if  not  instructive.  But  to  resume:  There  is 
another  reason  why  I'm  certain  a  woman  wrote  this 
note.  All  the  writer  knows  the  writer  got  from  Storri. 
It's  a  long  yarn ;  it  must  cover  in  its  transaction  a 
dozen  interviews  between  Storri  and  Mr.  Harley.  And 
they  were  not  interviews  at  which  a  third  party  was 
present.  You  will  see  the  truth  of  that  the  instant  I 
mention  it.  No ;  Storri  told  the  whole  tale  to  the  writer 
of  the  note.  Mr.  Harley  wouldn't  tell  it  for  obvious 
reasons.  Neither  would  he  write  it  to  you  or  anybody 
else ;  it  is  the  publication  of  it  that  he  fears.  Storri 
was  tho  only  one  besides  Mr.  Harley  who  knew  of  those 
French  shares ;  or  of  Mr.  Harley's  imitation  of  Storri's 
signature  and  the  threats  of  arrest  for  forgery  which 
Storri  made.  It's  as  plain  as  the  stars  at  night  that 
Storri  furnished  the  information  upon  which  this  letter 
is  based.  Now  whom  would  he  tell  ?  Not  a  man  ;  there 
would  be  nothing  to  gain  and  much  to  risk  in  that. 
A  woman,  then?  Sure;  this  fellow  has  been  strutting 
and  bragging  to  a  woman.  It  is  the  commonest  weak 
ness  of  the  congenital  criminal.  It  is  his  way  of  swag 
gering  and  seeming  powerful.  But  mark  you :  he  never 
takes  a  woman  into  dangerous  confidences  unless  he 
thinks  she  loves  him.  Do  you  follow?  Storri  has  told 
this  to  a  woman  in  whose  love  he  believes." 

"  You  reason  well,  at  any  rate,"  observed  Richard. 


354  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  reason  well,"  returned  Inspector  Val. 
"  I  have  reasoned  like  this  a  thousand  times,  and  a 
thousand  times  I  was  right.  To  go  on:  I  agree  with 
Storri ;  the  woman  does  love  him.  Why  does  she  write 
this  letter?  Because  she  wants  to  break  Storri's  grip 
on  Mr.  Harley.  On  Mr.  Harley's  account?  No,  she 
cares  nothing  for  Mr.  Harley.  In  a  clash  between  the 
two  her  sympathies  would  be  with  Storri,  whom  she 
loves.  Now  the  woman  in  telling  a  lie — the  only  one 
in  the  letter — has  also  told  an  important  truth.  It  is 
in  her  last  sentence.  She  was  thinking  to  throw  you  off 
as  to  her  sex,  and  went  out  of  her  way  to  do  it.  She 
was  hunting  a  chance  to  write  '  man  '  and  '  his  '  and 
at  the  same  time  not  advise  you  of  her  purpose. 
The  '  man  '  and  the  fi  his  '  were  to  be  by  way  of  in 
cident.  With  her  mind  on  fooling  you  as  to  her 
sex,  she  was  so  wholly  engaged  that  she  told  an  un 
witting  truth ;  she  did  write  this  letter  in  her  own  ser 
vice.  One  step  further:  The  object  of  the  lady,  as 
I've  said,  is  to  break  Storri's  hold  on  Mr.  Harley. 
Now  how  could  the  lady  who  writes  you  benefit  by  that? 
What  could  there  be  about  Storri's  ascendency  over 
Mr.  Harley  to  which  a  woman  who  loves  Storri  would 
object?  I  will  tell  you.  That  ascendency  gives  him 
not  only  a  hold  on  Mr.  Harley,  but  a  hold  through 
him  on  some  woman  whom  the  writer  fears  as  a  rival. 
And  there  you  are ;  I've  brought  the  argument  to  Miss 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     355 

Harley.  Storri  threatens  Mr.  Harley.  What  does  he 
demand?  That  you  be  excluded  from  the  Harley 
house.  Why?  Because  you  see  Miss  Harley.  Why 
should  Storri  object  to  that?  Because  he  desires  to 
court  the  lady  himself,  and  would  do  away  with  dan 
gerous  competition.  His  simple  hatred  of  you,  and 
nothing  more,  wrould  not  set  Storri  to  talking  forgery 
charges  to  Mr.  Harley ;  that  would  sound  too  much  like 
burning  a  barn  to  boil  an  egg." 

Richard  growled  an  acquiescence. 

"  Very  well ;  the  woman  who  wrote  the  note  would 
have  you  get  possession  of  those  French  shares.  Storri 
has  described  you  to  her  as  Miss  Harley's  lover;  that 
sets  her  to  writing  you — you  who  have  an  interest  as 
strong  as  her  own.  Storri  has  never  told  her  that  he 
loves  Miss  Harley.  She  has  guessed  it  and  accused 
him  of  it,  being  jealous ;  and  he  in  reply  and  denial  has 
laid  especial  emphasis  upon  you  as  Miss  Harley's  lover. 
It's  more  than  a  chance  he  told  her  the  whole  story  as 
part  of  a  jealous  row.  As  to  the  woman  being  French, 
I  infer  that  from  the  note.  She  couldn't  trust  her 
English  or  she  would  not  have  written  in  French.  That 
note,  being  in  French,  would  narrow  any  search  for  its 
author;  and  that,  too,  whether  the  author  were  Eng 
lish  or  French.  Certainly  there  are  fewer  people  in 
Washington  who  can  write  French  than  English. 
You  see  the  point?  " 


356  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  But  you  said  a  Frenchwoman  from  Ottawa." 

"  The  note  is  on  paper  that  was  made  and  sold  in 
Ottawa,  as  you  see  by  the  raised  mark  in  the  corner. 
We've  no  trade  with  Canada  for  note-paper;  besides, 
our  stores  wouldn't  handle  such  as  this.  It's  not  of 
fashionable  shape  and  size  as  Americans  understand 
fashions  in  note-paper.  It's  scented,  too;  and  that's 
vulgar  from  American  standpoints.  Also,  it's  fem 
inine.  No,  my  word  for  it,  the  woman  who  wrote  that 
note  bought  the  paper  in  Ottawa  and  brought  it  here. 
She  did  the  typewriting  herself,  which  was  but  natural ; 
and  she  is  not  an  adept,  as  anyone  may  tell  by  the 
clumsy,  irregular  way  in  which  she  begins  her  lines. 
Now  take " 

Matzai  came  in  and  announced  Mr.  Duff. 

"  Bring  him  up,"  said  Inspector  Val,  and  then,  turn 
ing  apologetically  to  Richard,  he  added :  "  Pardon  the 
liberty  of  giving  commands  in  your  house.  I'm  so 
eager  to  hear  whether  Mr.  Duff's  investigation  corrobo 
rates  my  theory  that  for  a  moment  I  thought  I  was  back 
in  Mulberry  Street.  Well,  Mr.  Duff,"  as  that  worthy 
was  ushered  in,  "  what  did  you  learn?  This  gentleman 
Is  Mr.  Storms." 

Mr.  Duff  seemed  to  know  all  about  Richard ;  prob 
ably  his  partner  sightseeing  over  the  way  had  told  him. 
He  nodded  blandly  as  Inspector  Val  gave  his  name,  and 
then  proceeded  to  answer  that  superior  officer. 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     357 

"  The  man  is  a  laborer  in  the  Treasury  Department. 
He  went  to  the  Treasury  Building  from  here,  and  made 
a  straight  wake  for  a  woman  who  works  at  drawing  plans 
and  that  sort  of  thing  in  the  office  of  the  Supervising 
Architect.  He  whispered  something  to  her,  and  she 
nodded.  When  he  got  about  ten  feet  away,  he  turned 
like  a  man  who  has  overlooked  a  point,  and  said:  *I 
rang  the  bell ;  they'll  get  it  right  off.'  Then  he  went 
away.  The  woman's  name  is  San  Reve — Sara  San 
Reve.  She's  a  Frenchwoman,  and  came  from  Ottawa. 
She  has  had  her  place  only  a  short  time,  and  was  ap 
pointed  on  the  recommendation  of  a  member  of  the 
Senate — Senator  Hanway." 

"  Senator  Hanway !  "  repeated  Inspector  Val,  look 
ing  dubiously  at  Richard.  "  He's  a  brother-in-law,  you 
say,  of  Mr.  Harlcy?  " 

"  Your  deductions  were  none  the  less  right,"  returned 
Richard,  who  saw  the  doubts  which  the  name  of  Han 
way  bred  in  the  other's  mind.  "  I'd  wager  my  life  on 
it.  I  never  heard  of  this  Miss  San  Reve,  but  she  is  from 
Ottawa,  Mr.  Duff  says.  I  ought  to  have  told  you  that 
Storri  came  to  Washington  from  Ottawa." 

"  Oh,  I  see !  "  exclaimed  Inspector  Val,  his  brow  clear 
ing.  "  Storri  came  from  Ottawa,  and  brought  his 
sweetheart.  Storri  worked  Senator  Hanway  tiirough 
our  friend*  Mr.  Harley,  and  Senator  Hanway  found 
her  a  place." 


358  THE  PRESIDENT 

"Yes,"  returned  Richard,  "I  think  you've  hit  it 
off.  The  next  thing  is  to  get  hold  of  those  French 
shares." 

"  Right  there,"  said  Inspector  Val,  "  let  me  say  a 
word.  I'll  first  go  and  put  my  people  on  the  track 
of  Storri ;  they'll  run  him,  turn  and  turn  about,  until 
further  orders,  and  report  each  morning.  That  done, 
you  and  I  will  take  the  Limited,  and  run  over  and 
talk  with  Mr.  Bayard.  It  will  require  his  help  to  get 
those  French  shares.  I'll  meet  you  at  the  station  then 
at  four." 

"  I  shall  be  there,"  responded  Richard.  "  Before 
you  go,  let  me  give  you  this  by  way  of  anticipated  ex 
pense,"  and  Richard  tendered  Inspector  Val  a  check  for 
one  thousand  dollars. 

"  That  wasn't  necessary,"  said  Inspector  Val,  as  he 
calmly  pocketed  the  check. 

When  Richard  arrived  at  the  station  he  found  In 
spector  Val  already  there.  "  I've  taken  a  drawing- 
room,"  said  the  latter.  "  It  may  be  a  weakness,  but 
my  inclination  runs  heavily  towards  concealment.  I 
have  a  horror  of  being  seen." 

"  I  have  horrors  of  much  the  same  color,"  returned 
Richard. 

Richard  showed  Mr.  Bayard  the  note  he  had  received, 
and  told  of  its  appearance,  and  the  construction  of  the 
note  as  given  by  Inspector  Val. 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     359 

*£  And  the  question  is,"  concluded  Richard,  "  can  we 
by  any  chance  get  hold  of  those  French  shares  ?  " 

"  Can  we  get  those  French  shares  ?  "  repeated  Mr. 
Bayard,  as  though  revolving  the  question  in  his 
thoughts.  "  I  should  say  we  might ;  yes,  I'm  quite 
sure.  I  think  it  will  offer  no  more  of  difficulty  than 
just  finding  out  where  this  Storri  negotiates  his  loans. 
I  know  where  to  go  for  the  information  and,  if  I  ask 
it  in  person,  it  will  be  forthcoming."  While  Mr.  Bay 
ard  spoke,  his  wits  were  working  like  a  flashlight,  dis 
playing  for  his  consideration  every  possibility  presented 
by  the  situation.  His  confidence  must  have  been 
strengthened  by  the  survey,  for  he  closed  with  em 
phasis,  saying :  "  I  am  a  false  prophet  if  I  do  not  place 
those  French  shares  in  your  hands,  your  own  property 
and  bought  with  your  own  money,  within  a  fortnight." 

"  Within  a  fortnight !  "  exclaimed  Richard,  his  face 
brightening  with  the  satisfaction  the  promise  gave  him. 

There  was  that  in  Mr.  Bayard's  manner  which  in 
vested  his  utterance  with  all  the  credit  granted  his  sig 
nature  at  the  banks.  Richard  felt  as  though  the 
French  certificates,  which  meant  so  much  to  Dorothy 
and  to  him,  were  as  good  as  in  his  hands. 

"  When  I  say  a  fortnight,"  observed  Mr.  Bayard,  "  I 
ought  to  add  my  reasons.  The  source  of  my  news  is 
unimportant,  but  you  may  accept  it  as  settled  that 
Tuesday  next  has  been  secretly  pitched  upon  by  our 


360  THE  PRESIDENT 

worthy  President  for  divers  warlike  declarations, 
founded  on  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  and  pointed  at  Ger 
many,  whose  cruisers  are  just  now  nosing  about  on  a 
debt-collecting  errand  against  one  of  the  South  Amer 
ican  states.  The  President  will  resent  the  nosing,  call 
German  attention  to  our  Monroe  Doctrine  as  the  line 
fence  between  the  hemispheres,  and  then  mount  guard 
over  the  sacred  rails  of  that  venerated  barrier  with  a 
gun.  All  of  which  might  excite  but  little  interest  were 
it  not,  as  a  demonstration,  sure  to  send  the  market 
tumbling  like  a  shot  pigeon.  I'm  not  certain  that  the 
whole  affair  hasn't  some  such  commercial  purpose.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  the  day  following  that  valorous  mani 
festo  will  be  a  time  of  panic,  and  the  bottom  will  fall 
out  of  stocks.  You  remember  what  I  told  you  as  to 
the  plans  of  our  friends  to  '  bear  '  Northern  Consoli 
dated?  This  will  bring  their  opportunity.  When  the 
markets  begin  to  toss  and  heave  and  fall  with  those 
White  House  antics  touching  Germany  and  the  Monroe 
Doctrine,  Senator  Hanway's  report  will  be  sprung  in 
the  Senate.  He  will  give  it  to  the  press  the  night  be 
fore,  so  that  the  morning  papers  may  ring  an  alarm 
to  the  '  bulls.'  This  will  be  the  procession  of  affairs : 
The  President  will  threaten  Germany  on  Tuesday :  Sen 
ator  Hanway's  report  will  be  in  the  papers  and  the 
Senate  on  Wednesday ;  by  Wednesday  night  our  '  bear ' 
pool  will  have  been  clamorously  selling  Northern  Con- 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     361 

solidated  all  day.  Per  incident,  we  will  have  been  buy 
ing  Northern  Consolidated  all  day.  By  Friday  even 
ing — I  give  them  three  selling  days  in  which  to  work 
their  ruin — I  shall  wire  you  that  they  arc  caught  in 
the  trap  by  all  their  feet  at  once.  It  is  then  I  shall 
mail  you  those  French  shares." 

"  No  letter  will  ever  mean  so  much  to  me,  be  sure," 
said  Richard. 

"  You  shall  receive  it,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard.  "  By 
the  way,  we  are  prepared  to  the  last  detail  for  that 
raid.  I've  bought  more  than  five  hundred  thousand 
shares  of  Northern  Consolidated  in  Europe  at  an  aver 
age  of  forty-two.  In  order  that  our  raiders  may  have 
what  rope  they  require  to  thoroughly  hang  themselves, 
I've  brought  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  of  those 
shares  to  this  country.  It  is  placed  where  they  may 
reach  it  for  the  purpose  of  borrowing  stock  for  delivery. 
In  fact,  our  arrangements  are  perfect ;  they  make  as 
complete  a  deadfall  as  ever  waited  for  its  prey." 

Richard  and  Inspector  Val  returned  to  Washington, 
Richard  to  write  Dorothy  a  letter  freighted  of  promise 
and  hope  and  love.  In  it  he  told  her  that  soon  he  would 
have  canceled  the  last  element  of  Storri's  power,  re 
moved  the  last  fear  of  Mr.  Hurley,  and,  in  loving  brief, 
destroyed  the  last  bar  which  separated  them  and  kept 
them  apart. 

Dorothy  read  the  letter  again  and  again,  and  then 


362  THE  PRESIDENT 

kissed  it  pending  the  advent  of  something  more  kiss- 
able.  Richard's  promise  was  like  the  smell  of  flowers 
to  refresh  her  jaded,  fear-wearied  heart.  The  one 
regret  was,  since  Richard  had  forbidden  it,  that  she 
could  not  share  the  blessed  promise  with  her  father. 

Richard  wrote  nothing  of  the  note  of  -warning ;  nor 
did  he  speak  of  Inspector  Val  and  his  deductions  as  to 
Storri's  visits  to  the  Harley  house.  His  only  thought 
had  been  to  cheer  the  drooping  soul  of  Dorothy  with  the 
glad  nearness  of  happier  days.  The  word  of  comfort 
came  in  good  time,  for  the  shameful  weight  of  the  sit 
uation  was  crushing  Dorothy. 

Mr.  Harley  these  days  walked  in  troubles  as  deep  as 
those  of  Dorothy,  but  not  the  same.  Mr.  Harley  was 
not  borne  upon  by  the  shame  of  the  thing ;  that  did  not 
depress  him  any  more  than  the  knowledge  that  he  was 
guiltless  of  wrong  upheld  him.  A  man  of  finer  nature 
would  have  been  strengthened  by  his  innocence.  To  such 
a  man  his  self-respect  would  have  been  important ;  while 
he  retained  that  support  he  could  have  summoned  up  a 
fortitude  to  bear  the  worst  that  lay  in  Storri's  hands. 
But  Mr.  Harley  was  no  such  one  of  fineness,  upon  whom 
he  would  have  looked  down  as  a  visionary  and  a  senti 
mentalist.  There  arose  the  less  cause  why  he  should  be, 
perhaps,  since  Mr.  Harley  was  sure  of  being  popular 
with  himself  in  spite  of  any  conduct  that  could  be 
his.  His  ideals  were  not  lofty,  his  moral  senses 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     363 

not  keen,  and  what  original  decent  point  the  latter  might 
have  once  possessed  had  long  been  dulled  away.  True, 
Mr.  Harley  was  shaken  of  an  ague  of  fear;  but  his 
tremblings  were  born  of  the  practical.  He  was  agi 
tated  by  thoughts  of  what  havoc,  in  his  own  and  in  Sen 
ator  Hanway's  affairs  of  politics  and  business,  naming 
him  formally  as  a  forger  would  work.  Such  a  disaster 
would  be  tangible ;  he  could  appreciate,  and,  appreci 
ating,  shrink  from  it. 

One  thing  to  feather  the  wing  of  his  apprehensions 
and  set  them  soaring  was  his  uncertainty  concerning 
Storri.  He  could  not  gauge  Storri ;  he  would  have  felt 
safer  had  that  nobleman  been  an  American  or  an  Eng 
lishman.  Storri  was  so  loaded  of  alarming  contradic 
tions  ;  he  could  so  snarl  and  purr,  threaten  and  promise, 
beam  and  glower,  smile  and  frown,  and  all  in  the  one 
moment  of  time!  Mr.  Harley  could  not  read  a  spirit 
so  perverse  and  in  such  perpetual  head-on  collision  with 
itself!  Nor  could  he,  being  fear-blind,  see  that  in  most, 
if  not  all  of  these,  Storri  was  acting.  If  Mr.  Harley 
had  realized  what  a  joy  it  was  to  Storri  to  frighten 
him,  the  knowledge  might  have  made  for  his  peace  of 
mind.  As  it  was,  he  looked  upon  Storri  as  at  the  best 
half  mad,  and  capable,  in  some  beckoning  moment  of 
caprice,  of  any  lunatic  move  that  should  level  the  worst 
against  him. 

Mr.    Harley   had   one   hope,    and   that   rested   with 


364  THE  PRESIDENT 

Northern  Consolidated.  If  he  could  stand  off  disaster 
until  the  raid  on  Northern  Consolidated  had  been  made, 
and  the  profits,  namely  the  road,  were  in  their  hands, 
he  might  then  arrange  a  permanent  truce.  In  this  he 
reckoned  on  Storri's  rapacity^  to  which  a  million  of 
dollars  was  as  a  mouthful.  Given  a  foretaste  of  what 
riches  should  dwell  therein,  Storri  would  desire  with 
triple  intensity  to  push  forward  in  his  earth-girdling 
dream  of  Credit  Magellan.  The  conquest  of  Northern 
Consolidated  would  teach  him  to  look  upon  the  rest  as 
sure.  Being  in  this  frame,  Mr.  Harley  argued  that 
Storri,  feeling  his  inability  to  go  forward  without  him, 
might  be  softened  to  the  touch  of  reason.  Under  these 
pleasant  new  conditions,  with  Credit  Magellan  hope 
fully  launched,  Storri  could  be  treated  with.  Mr.  Har- 
ley  would  then  feel  his  way  to  some  safe  compromise ; 
he  would  invent  an  offer  for  those  French  shares  which 
should  present  both  peril  and  profit.  He  would 
threaten  to  go  no  further  with  Credit  Magellan  unless 
Storri  put  those  French  shares  in  his  hands ;  and  he 
would  give  him  twenty-fold  their  value  if  he  did.  Mr. 
Harley  harbored  the  thought  that  Storri  would  yield ; 
and  yield  all  the  more  readily  since  his  passion  for 
Dorothy  and  his  appetite  for  revenge  against  Mr.  Har 
ley  would  have  had  time  to  cool.  Thus  reasoning,  and 
thus  hoping,  and,  one  had  almost  said,  thus  fearing, 
Mr.  Harley  gave  himself  to  the  task  in  two  parts  of 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     365 

keeping  Storri  in  paths  of  peace,  and  praying  for  a 
break  in  the  market  so  that  the  attack  on  Northern 
Consolidated  might  begin. 

You  arc  not  to  suppose  those  changes  in  Mr.  Harley 
and  Dorothy  went  uncounted  by  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley ; 
that  would  be  claiming  too  much  against  the  lady's 
vigilance.  In  her  double  role  of  wife  and  mother,  it 
was  her  duty  to  observe  the  haggard  face  of  Mr.  Har 
ley  and  the  woe  that  settled  about  Dorothy's  young 
eyes;  and  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  as  wife  and  mother, 
observed  them.  And  this  is  how  that  perspicacious 
matron  read  those  signs.  She  translated  Mr.  Harley's 
haggard  looks  at  a  glance ;  he  was  losing  money. 
Legislation,  or  stocks,  or  both,  were  going  the  wrong 
way ;  but  in  legislation,  or  stocks,  or  both,  or  the  way 
they  went,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  refused  to  have  an 
interest.  If  Mr.  Harley  had  lost  money,  Mr.  Harley 
must  make  some  more ;  that  was  all. 

In  divining  Dorothy's  griefs,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
showed  even  greater  ingenuity.  Dorothy  and  Richard 
had  quarreled ;  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  sharp  to  note 
that  now  she  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  Richard.  Also, 
Dorothy  came  to  the  dinner  table  when  Storri  was  there, 
and  neither  fled  to  her  room  nor  called  Bess  to  her 
shoulder  on  hearing  that  nobleman's  name  announced. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  saw  how  the  land  lay ;  Dorothy 
took  a  more  lenient  view  of  Storri  when  now  her  fancy 


366  THE  PRESIDENT 

for  Richard  was  wearing  dim.  After  all,  it  had  been 
only  a  fancy;  it  asked  just  a  trifle  of  care,  and  the 
happy  denouement  would  be  as  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
wished. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  began  now  to  play  her  game 
exceeding  deep.  She  would  say  nothing  of  Richard; 
to  name  him  would  serve  to  keep  him  in  Dorothy's  mem- 
ory.  She  would  say  nothing  of  Storri ;  to  speak  of  him 
would  heat  Dorothy's  obstinacy,  and  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  had  learned  not  to  desire  that.  No,  she  would  ba 
wisely,  f  orbearingly  diplomatic ;  the  present  arrange 
ment  was  perfect  for  the  ends  in  view.  Storri  came  to 
the  house;  Richard  stayed  away;  the  conclusion  was 
natural  and  solitary,  and  Dorothy  would  marry  Storri. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  fully  understanding  the  currents 
of  events  and  the  flowing  thereof,  became  serenely  joy 
ful,  and  the  charm  of  her  manner  gained  accent  from 
those  clouds  so  visibly  resting  upon  Mr.  Harley  and 
Dorothy.  Yes,  indeed ;  it  must  not  be  written  that  the 
sun  did  not  shine  for  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  whose  con 
versation  the  satirical  Storri  told  the  San  Reve  was  as 
the  conversation  of  a  magpie. 

Tuesday  came,  and  the  President  of  this  republic 
shook  a  pugnacious  fist  beneath  the  German  nose. 
Some  impression  of  the  weird  suddenness  of  the  maneu 
ver  might  have  been  gathered  from  the  comment  of 


HOW  RICHARD  RECEIVED  A  LETTER     367 

Senator  Gruff.  Speaking  for  the  Senate,  that  saga 
cious  man  remarked : 

"  It  came  down  upon  us  like  a  pan  of  milk  from  a 
top  shelf!" 

In  Wall  Street  the  effect  was  all  that  Mr.  Bayard 
foretold.  Prices  began  to  melt  and  dwindle  like-  ice  in 
August.  Panic  prevailed ;  three  brokerage  firms  fell, 
a  dozen  more  were  rocking  on  their  foundations. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hubbub,  Senator  Hanway  sent 
for  Richard.  Our  statesman's  smile  was  bland,  his 
brow  untroubled. 

"  You  see  I  do  not  forget,"  said  Senator  Hanway 
sweetly.  "  I  promised  that  I'd  give  you  an  exclusive 
story  when  the  committee  on  Northern  Consolidated 
was  ready  to  report.  Here  is  the  report,  it  was  finished 
last  evening;  I  have  added  a  brief  interview  to  explain 
it." 

Richard's  impulse  was  to  ask  a  dozen  questions ;  he 
restrained  himself  and  asked  none.  Richard  was  not  so 
fond  of  fiction  as  to  invite  it.  He  sent  the  report  and 
interview  to  the  Daily  Tory,  and  dispatched  a  private 
message  to  Mr.  Bayard,  giving  him  the  news  and  con 
gratulating  him  on  his  unerring  gifts  as  a  seer. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HOW   NORTHERN    CONSOLIDATED   WAS    SOLD 

WHEN  the  President  of  these  United  States 
so  dauntlessly  flourished  the  Monroe 
Doctrine  in  the  German  face,  and  shook 
the  Presidential  fist  beneath  the  German  nose,  the  flour 
ishing  and  fist-shaking  were  accomplished  through  the 
medium  of  a  special  message  to  Congress  which — a  clap 
of  thunder  from  a  cloudless  sk}r — made  its  appearance 
in  House  and  Senate  upon  a  certain  Tuesday  afternoon 
at  four  of  the  congressional  clock.  The  hour  of  four 
had  been  settled  upon  to  diminish  as  much  as  might 
be,  so  the  President  said,  the  chances  of  an  earthquake 
in  the  New  York  stock  market,  which  closed  at  three. 
In  San  Francisco,  which  is  three  hours  younger  than 
New  York,  the  winds  of  disastrous  speculation  blew  a 
hurricane  that  afternoon ;  but  no  one  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  cares  what  happens  in  San  Francisco.  Besides, 
the  New  York  hurricane  was  only  deferred. 

Tuesday  afternoon,  after  word  of  that  Presidential 
fist-shaking  had  soaked  into  the  souls  of  men,  specu 
lative  New  York  went  nervous  to  the  frontiers  of  hys 
teria.  Tuesday  night,  speculative  New  York  couldn't 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      3(J9 

sleep ;  it  sat  up  till  morning,  for,  like  cattle,  it  could 
smell  in  the  breeze  the  coming  storm.  Wednesday 
heard  the  crash ;  and  the  crashing  continued  una 
bated  throughout  Thursday  and  Friday.  The  papers 
of  that  hour  in  attempting  to  describe  stock  con 
ditions  drew  exhaustively  on  such  terms  as  "  tornado," 
"  blizzard,"  "  simoon,"  "  maelstrom,"  "  cyclone," 
"  landslide,"  "  avalanche,"  and  whatever  else  in  the 
English  language  means  death  and  devastation.  No 
one  found  fault  of  those  similes,  which  were  justified 
of  the  hopeless  truth.  Values  were  beaten  as  flat  as  a 
field  of  turnips.  The  best  feature  was  that  no  banks 
failed;  two  or  three  of  the  weaker  sisters  wavered,  but 
the  big,  burly  concerns  gave  them  the  arm  of  their  aid 
and  led  them  through. 

Days  before  the  smash,  that  osprey  pool  had  per 
fected  the  last  fragment  of  its  arrangements.  The  old 
gray  buccaneer,  who  had  charge  of  the  pool's  interests, 
was  as  ready  for  action  as  was  Mr.  Bayard.  The  latter 
stock-King  was  perhaps  the  only  one  in  the  Street  who 
possessed  a  foreknowledge  of  what  daring  deeds  our 
White  House  meditated.  To  Mr.  Bayard  the  secrets 
of  Courts  and  Cabinets  were  told,  for  he  had  an  agent 
at  the  elbow  of  every  possibility.  The  old  gray  bucca 
neer  was  not  so  well  provided ;  none  the  less,  with  decks 
cleared,  guns  shotted,  cutlasses  ground  to  razor-edge, 
he  was  prompt  on  the  instant  to  put  forth  against 


370  THE  PRESIDENT 

Northern  Consolidated  now  when  the  tempest  which 
lashed  the  market  favored  his  pirate  purposes. 

Those  four  millions  which  had  been  decided  upon  as 
the  fund  of  the  osprey  pool  were  banked  ready  to  the 
hand  of  the  old  gray  buccaneer.  Storri,  who  had  been 
losing  money,  exhausted  himself  in  providing  the  "five 
hundred  thousand  which  made  up  his  one-eighth  of  the 
four  millions.  By  squeezing  out  his  last  drop  of  credit, 
he  succeeded  in  gathering  those  thousands ;  once 
gathered,  he  tossed  them  into  the  pool's  fund  as  care 
lessly  as  though  they  had  been  nothing  more  than  the 
common  furniture  of  his  pocket,  without  which  he  would 
not  think  of  beginning  the  day.  Storri  at  least  was  a 
magnificent  actor. 

In  collecting  those  five  hundred  thousand  'dollars, 
Storri,  among  other  securities,  put  up  the  French  shares. 
He  thought  nothing  of  that,  since  following  victory 
over  Northern  Consolidated  they  would  be  back  in  his 
hands  again.  Incidentally,  a  gratifying  thing  hap 
pened,  something  in  the  nature  of  a  compliment  -or  a 
concession,  which  he  attributed  to  the  snobbish  eager 
ness  of  Americans  to  pay  homage  to  his  nobility. 
Fatuous  Storri;  he  should  never  have  looked  for  com 
pliment  or  concession  or  snobbish  adulation  in  a  plain 
lend-and-borrow  traffic  of  dollars  and  cents!  Men  will 
buy  a  coat  of  arms ;  but  they  will  not  take  a  coat  of 
arms  in  pawn.  No  ;  Storri,  instead  of  feeling-  flattered, 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      371 

should  have  grown  suspicious  when  the  gentleman  from 
whom  he  borrowed  those  five  hundred  thousand  pro 
posed  to  let  him  have  the  full  value  of  his  securities  if 
in  return  he  were  given  the  right  to  confiscate  should 
the  loans  not  be  repaid  on  the  nail.  Why  not?  The 
new  arrangement  meant  no  real  risk ;  the  security  might 
always  be  sold  in  case  of  default.  And  under  the 
arrangement  offered,  Storri's  credit  would  be  en 
larged  by  twenty  per  cent.  He  agreed,  and  had  imme 
diate  advantage  of  the  fact.  Drawing  to  the  last 
dollar,  he  made  his  share  of  the  pool's  four  millions 
good. 

When  the  storm  descended  Wednesday  morning,  the 
old  gray  buccaneer  was  instantly  in  the  middle  of  it 
doing  all  he  might  to  encourage  the  storm.  As  the 
stock  world  went  to  its  sleepless  bed  on  Tuesday  night, 
it  knew  about  the  Presidential  defiance  of  Germany. 
That  news  was  enough  to  keep  the  stock  world  shiver 
ing  till  morning.  When  it  arose  and  read  the  Daily 
Tory,  its  chills  were  multiplied  by  two.  As  if  trouble 
with  Germany  were  not  sufficient  invitation  to  general 
ruin,  here  came  the  Hanway  report  driving  a  knife  to 
the  heart  of  Northern  Consolidated !  At  sight  of  that, 
the  stock  world's  last  hope  abandoned  it,  and  the  work 
of  slaughter  commenced.  The  old  gray  buccaneer 
grinned  with  happiness  that  awful  morning  as  he  looked 
across  the  field  of  coming  war. 


THE  PRESIDENT 

Andrew  Jackson,  being  half  Scotch  and  half  Irish, 
was  wont  before  a  battle  to  think  and  plan  with  the 
prudent  sagacity  of  a  Bailey  Jarvio.  Once  the  battle 
began,  he  ceased  to  be  Scotch  and  became  wholly 
Irish ;  he  quit  thinking  and  devoted  himself  des 
perately  to  execution.  The  old  gray  buccaneer  of 
stocks  was  like  Andrew  Jackson.  His  plan,  thor 
oughly  cautious  and  Scotch,  had  been  laid  to  sell  and 
sell  and  sell  Northern  Consolidated  until  the  stock  was 
beaten  down  to  twenty.  He  would  sell  savagely,  re 
lentlessly,  sell  with  his  eyes  shut,  until  the  twenty  point 
was  reached.  And  if  necessary,  he  would  sell  four 
hundred  thousand  shares. 

The  old  gray  buccaneer,  under  the  conditions  exist 
ing,  did  not  think  it  would  require  a  sale  of  four  hun 
dred  thousand  shares  before  the  market  broke  to  the 
figure  he  had  fixed  his  heart  upon.  The  general  con 
flagration  raging  must  of  necessity  smoke  out  thou 
sands  and  thousands  of  innocent  Northern  Consolidated 
shares.  These,  blind  and  frenzied,  would  rush  plung- 
ingly  into  the  flames  like  horses  at  a  fire.  The  old 
gray  buccaneer  felt  sure  that  while  he  was  selling  four 
hundred  thousand  shares,  full  two  hundred  thousand, 
mayhap  three  hundred  thousand,  shares  in  addition 
would  be  offered.  What  stock  could  support  itself 
against  such  a  flood  as  that?  When  the  bottom  was 
reached,  and  the  time  was  ripe,  the  pool  would  gather 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      373 

in  the  harvest.  It  was  a  beautiful  plan ;  the  more 
beautiful  because  of  its  simplicity ! 

Instantly  on  the  morning  of  that  black  Wednesday 
the  sale  of  Northern  Consolidated  began.  Thousands 
of  shares  in  two  thousand,  five  thousand,  and  even  ten 
thousand  lots  were  thrown  upon  the  market  by  the  old 
gray  buccaneer.  In  the  roar  and  tumult  of  that  disas 
trous  day,  what  would  have  been  in  calmer  moments  a 
spectacle  of  astonishment  passed  much  unnoticed.  The 
stock  world  was  busy  saving  itself  out  of  the  teeth  of 
destruction,  and  the  smashing  and  slugging  in  North 
ern  Consolidated  attracted  the  less  attention. 

Northern  Consolidated  merited  admiring  attention ; 
against  that  desperate  hammering,  it  stood  like  a  wall 
of  granite.  Ten,  twenty,  forty,  eighty,  over  one  hun 
dred  thousand  shares  were  sold  that  Wednesda}^ ;  and 
3^et,  marvel  of  marvels,  Northern  Consolidated  at  the 
day's  close  had  fallen  off  no  more  than  six  points.  It  re 
treated  sullenly,  slowly,  step  by  step  and  eighth  by 
eighth ;  ever  and  anon  it  would  make  a  stand  and  hold 
a  price  an  hour.  Other  stocks  lost  twice  and  threefold 
the  ground ;  the  stubbornness  of  Northern  Consolidated 
began  to  engage  the  notice  of  men.  More  than  one 
poor  "  bull  "  when  sore  beset  that  day  took  fresh 
heart  from  the  obstinacy  of  Northern  Consolidated ; 
his  own  foothold  was  steadied  and  made  the  stronger 
for  it. 


374  THE  PRESIDENT 

But  the  old  gray  buccaneer  refused  to  be  denied;  he 
had  quit  thinking  and  begun  to  act ;  he  would  break  the 
back  of  Northern  Consolidated  if  it  took  the  last  share 
of  those  four  hundred  thousand!  His  courage  never 
wavered ;  he  would  charge  and  keep  charging ;  in  the 
end  his  cavalry  work  must  tell  and  the  lines  of  Northern 
Consolidated  crumple  up  like  paper.  All  it  required 
was  dash  and  confidence,  with  an  underlying  grim  de 
termination  to  win  or  die,  and  Northern  Consolidated 
must  yield. 

The  war  was  renewed  upon  Thursday,  and  staggered 
fiercely  on  throughout  the  day.  Then  Friday  fol 
lowed,  a  roaring,  tottering,  crashing,  smashing  fellow 
of  the  two  days  gone  before.  Millionaires  became 
beggars  and  beggars  millionaires  between  breakfast 
and  lunch. 

As  on  Wednesday,  so  also  on  Thursday  and  Friday 
the  stock  which  best  sustained  itself  was  Northern  Con 
solidated.  And  yet  no  other  stock  was  so  bitterly  sold ! 
As  against  this  it  should  be  added  that  no  other  was 
so  bitterly  bought !  Every  offer  to  sell  was  closed  with 
at  the  very  moment  of  its  birth. 

At  last  the  end  came;  the  old  gray  buccaneer  could 
go  no  further.  He  had  already  oversold  his  self -fixed 
limit,  having  parted  with  four  hundred  and  eleven  thou 
sand  shares.  The  sales  were  made  in  the  names  of  the 
various  members  of  the  pool,  each  selling  one-eighth  of 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      375 

the  whole.  Senator  Hanway's  interest,  as  well  as  that 
of  Mr.  Harley,  being  fifty-one  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fifty  shares  for  each,  for  reasons  that  do  not  re 
quire  exhibition,  was  handled  in  the  name  of  an  agent. 
Full  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  innocent  shares, 
smoked  into  the  open  market  as  the  old  gray  buccaneer 
had  anticipated,  were  also  sold,  making  the  round  total 
of  five  hundred  and  sixty-one  thousand  shares  of  North 
ern  Consolidated  offered  and  snapped  up  during  those 
three  days  of  fire.  It  was  the  greatest  "  bear  "  raid  in 
the  annals  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  so  graybeards  said ; 
and  what  peculiarly  marked  it  for  the  admiration  of 
mankind  was  that  it  had  had  the  least  success.  In  three 
days,  with  five  hundred  and  sixty-one  thousand  shares 
sold,  the  stock  had  fallen  only  eleven  points.  The  raid 
was  over  and  the  "  bears  "  had  growlingly  retreated 
thirty  minutes  before  the  close  on  Friday.  Within  ten 
minutes  after  the  last  offer  to  sell,  and  when  it  was 
plain  the  "  bears  "  had  quit  the  field,  under  a  cross-fire 
of  bids  that  fell  as  briskly  thick  as  hail,  Northern  Con 
solidated  was  bid  up  thirteen  points.  It  had  stood 
forty-one  at  Tuesday's  close;  it  was  forty-three  when, 
"  bears "  routed,  the  market  was  over  Friday  after 
noon.  And  thus  disastrously  fared  the  osprey  pool. 

"  We're  ruined,  gentlemen,"  coolly  remarked  the  old 
gray  buccaneer  when,  with  the  exception  of  Senator 
Hanway,  the  members  of  the  pool  gathered  themselves 


376  THE  PRESIDENT 

together  Friday  evening.     "  We're  in  a  corner ;  we're 
gone — hook,  line,  and  sinker !  " 

"  What  can  we  do?  "  asked  Mr.  Harley,  his  face  the 
hue  of  putty. 

"  Nothing !  "  said  the  old  gray  buccaneer,  lighting 
a  Spartan  cigar.  "  We're  penned  up ;  whoever  has  us 
cornered  may  now  come  round  and  knock  us  on  the  head 
whenever  he  finds  it  convenient." 

"  The  market  is  still  weak,"  observed  one,  "  for  all 
it  lived  through  the  panic.  Suppose  we  creep  in  to 
morrow  and  cover  our  shorts.  The  shares  are  forty- 
three  ;  I  for  one  think  it  might  be  wise  to  close  the 
deal  and  take  our  losses,  even  if  we  go  as  high  as 
fifty." 

"  For  myself,"  remarked  the  old  gray  buccaneer,  with 
a  half-sneer  at  what  he  regarded  as  a  most  childish 
suggestion,  "  I'd  be  pleased  to  settle  at  sixty-five  or 
even  seventy."  Then,  turning  to  him  who  was  for 
softly  buying  his  way  out :  "  Do  you  imagine  that  what 
has  happened  was  accident?  I  tell  you  there's  a  shark 
swimming  in  these  waters — a  shark  so  big  that  by  com 
parison  Port  Royal  Tom  would  seem  like  a  dolphin. 
And,  gentlemen,  that  shark  is  after  us.  He's  been 
after  us  from  the  beginning;  he's  got  between  us  and 
the  shore,  and  he'll  pull  us  under  when  the  spirit  moves 
him.  If  you  think  differently,  go  into  the  market  to 
morrow  and  try  to  buy  Northern  Consolidated.  An  at- 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      377 

tempt  to  buy  five  hundred  shares  will  put  it  up  ten 
points." 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  the  pool  sent  quietly  into 
the  Exchange  to  buy  one  thousand  shares ;  that,  by 
way  of  feeler.  The  old  gray  buccaneer  was  right ; 
Northern  Consolidated  climbed  fifteen  points  with  the 
vivacity  of  a  squirrel,  and  rested  mockingly  at  fifty- 
eight.  Following  this  disheartening  experiment,  which 
resulted  in  nothing  more  hopeful  than  a  demand  for 
further  margins  from  the  pool's  brokers,  there  were  no 
more  efforts  to  "  buy."  The  pool  was  marked  for 
death ;  but  that,  while  discouraging,  offered  no  argu 
ment  in  favor  of  self-destruction. 

When  the  markets  opened  upon  that  storm-swept 
Wednesday,  there  were  forty  brokers  on  the  floor  of  the 
Exchange  to  execute  the  orders  of  Mr.  Bayard.  Not 
one  of  the  forty  knew  of  the  other  thirty-nine ;  not  one 
was  aware  of  Mr.  Bayard  in  the  business  of  the  day. 
Thirty  as  a  maximum  had  been  commissioned  to  buy — 
each  man  twenty  thousand  shares — six  hundred  thou 
sand  shares  of  Northern  Consolidated.  The  orders  had 
come  through  banks  in  the  city,  and  from  banks  and 
brokerages  in  London,  Paris,  Berlin,  and  a  dozen  points 
in  Europe.  They  ran  from  five  hundred  to  as  high  as 
twelve  thousand  shares  the  order.  Each  broker  was 
given  a  certain  limit  below  which  he  might  buy,  and 
the  orders  of  no  two  were  in  conflict.  Each  for  his 


378  THE  PRESIDENT 

orders  would  have  the  unobstructed  market  to  him 
self. 

Mr.  Bayard  arranged  for  that  fall  of  eleven  points ; 
the  "  bear  "  raid  must  seem  to  have  effect  to  encourage 
the  pool.  To  thus  foster  the  pool  in  its  hopes,  ten  of  the 
forty  were  to  u  sell  "  Northern  Consolidated  in  limited 
lots ;  these  sales  should  augment  "  bear  "  enthusiasm. 

In  each  instance  the  stock  thus  offered  was  taken  by 
one  of  Mr.  Bayard's  brokers,  who  little  imagined  that 
both  he  and  the  broker  selling  drew  their  inspirations 
from  the  same  source.  As  demonstrating  the  finesse 
of  Mr.  Bayard,  if  one  had  collected  from  the  forty 
those  orders  which  they  brought  upon  the  floor  that 
Wednesday  morning,  and  spread  them  on  a  table,  they 
would  have  exhibited  a  perfect  picture  of  speculation. 
One  would  have  fitted  with  another,  and  each  in  its 
proper  place,  until  the  whole  was  like  a  mosaic  of  de 
fense.  The  "  bear  "  pool  was  met  on  the  threshold ;  it 
was  permitted  to  press  forward  eighth  by  eighth  ac 
cording  to  a  plan ;  one  Bayard  broker  having  made  his 
purchases,  another  took  his  place;  it  was  like  clock 
work.  The  whole  five  hundred  and  sixty-one  thousand 
shares  were  bought  and  sold ;  and  from  first  to  last  there 
came  never  a  glimpse  of  Mr.  Bayard. 

It  had  been  Mr.  Bayard's  earlier  thought  to  let 
Northern  Consolidated  fall  as  low  as  twenty-five.  For 
the  sake  of  poor  men  in  peril  from  that  defiance  of  all 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      379 

things  German,  Mr.  Bayard  in  the  last  hours  of  his 
preparations  decided  to  support  the  market.  To  hold 
Northern  Consolidated  above  thirty  against  the  double 
pressure  of  a  falling  market  and  a  "  bear  "  raid  would 
be  to  the  general  stock  list  as  a  prop  to  a  leaning  wall. 
It  would  save  hundreds  from  annihilation,  and  Mr. 
Bayard  resolved  for  their  rescue.  It  would  cost  him 
nothing,  lose  him  nothing;  once  cornered,  the  question 
whether  that  osprey  pool  were  cornered  at  twenty  or  at 
thirty  or  at  forty  was  unimportant.  The  corner  com 
plete,  Mr.  Bayard  with  a  breath  could  put  Northern 
Consolidated  to  fifty,  to  one  hundred,  to  five  hundred, 
to  one  thousand!  The  measure  of  his  triumph  would 
be  the  measure  of  the  mercy  of  Mr.  Bayard.  Vce 
Victis!  Our  Brennus  of  the  Stocks  might  demand  from 
the  members  of  the  vanquished  pool  their  final  shilling. 
He  might  strip  them  as  he  was  stripped  those  thirty 
years  before,  and  turn  them  forth  naked.  For  thus 
read  the  iron  statutes  of  the  Stock  Exchange  where 
quarter  is  unknown. 

It  was  Mr.  Bayard  who  caused  Northern  Consolidated 
to  climb,  squirrel-wise,  to  forty-three  as  the  market 
closed  on  Friday,  and  later  to  fifty-eight.  It  had  the 
effect  desired;  there  came  the  call  for  margins.  Storri, 
who  had  put  his  last  dollar  to  the  hazard,  went  down, 
exhausted,  destroyed,  and  under  foot,  and,  as  parcel  of 
the  spoils  of  that  Russian's  overthrow,  those  French 


380  THE  PRESIDENT 

shares  were  sent  to  Mr.  Bayard.  Within  ten  minutes 
after  he  received  them  they  were  on  their  way  to  Rich 
ard,  with  a  letter  telling  how  complete  had  been  the 
osprey  pool's  defeat.  For  all  his  dignity  and  his  gray 
crown  of  sixty  years,  Mr.  Ba}'ard's  eyes  were  shining 
like  the  eyes  of  a  child  with  a  new  toy.  What  battle  was 
to  that  Scriptural  hero's  warhorse  so  was  the  strife  of 
stocks  as  breath  in  the  nostrils  of  Mr.  Bayard.  Rich 
ard's  eyes  were  as  bright  as  those  of  Mr.  Bayard  when 
he  received  the  French  shares,  but  it  was  a  softer  bright 
ness  born  of  thoughts  of  Dorothy,  and  in  no  wise  to  be 
confounded  with  that  battle-glitter  which  shone  in  the 
eyes  of  the  other.  Thus  ran  the  note  of  Mr.  Bayard : 

DEAR  MR.  STORMS: 

Our  bears  are  safely  in  the  pit  which  we  digged  for 
them.  The  New  York  five  are  taking  it  in  a  temper 
of  stolid  philosophy,  being  bruins  of  experience.  We 
may  keep  them  in  the  pit  what  time  you  will  before  we 
begin  the  butchery — one  week,  one  month,  one  year. 
They  cannot  escape,  since  my  agents  on  the  floor  of  the 
Exchange  will  be  always  on  the  watch  to  see  that  they 
don't  climb  out.  The  first  time  an  offer  to  buy  or  sell 
a  share  of  Northern  Consolidated  is  made,  I  shall  put 
the  price  to  three  hundred.  Our  bears,  however,  know 
this,  and  will  make  no  attempt  to  get  away,  realizing 
its  hopelessness.  The  Storri  bear  is  already  dead ;  that 
first  call  for  margins  killed  him,  and  I  send  you  a  speci 
men  of  his  pelt,  to  wit,  the  French  shares,  with  this. 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      381 

As  for  the  others,  whenever  you  are  ready  we  will  call 
on  them  for  their  fur  and  their  grease  and  what  else 
is  valuable  about  a  bear.  Believe  me  your  friend,  as 
was  your  father  the  friend  of 

ROBERT  LANCE  BAYARD. 

Richard,  now  he  had  possession  of  those  fateful  secur 
ities,  was  somewhat  put  about  as  to  the  best  manner 
of  getting  them  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Harley.  He, 
Richard,  could  not  personally  appear  in  the  transac 
tion.  He  thought  of  using  the  excellent  Mr.  Gwynn; 
but  that  course  offered  objections,  since  it  would  be 
assumed  hereafter  by  Mr.  Harley  that  Richard,  because 
of  his  confidential  relations  with  Mr.  Gwynn,  must  know 
the  history  of  those  shares.  Richard  did  not  care  to 
have  such  a  thought  take  hold  on  Mr.  Harley ;  it  might 
later  embarrass  both  Mr.  Harley  and  Richard  when  the 
latter  called  at  the  Harley  house,  as  he  meant  shortly 
to  do.  Finally  he  hit  upon  an  idea ;  he  would  employ 
the  worthy  name  of  Mr.  Fopling.  The  secret  would 
be  safe  with  one  who,  like  Mr.  Fopling,  could  never  be 
brought  to  understand  it. 

Being  decided  as  to  a  path,  Richard  inclosed  those 
dangerous  shares  with  a  typewritten  note  to  Mr.  Har 
ley.  The  note,  speaking  in  the  third  person,  presented 
Mr.  Fopling's  compliments,  explained  that  Mr.  Fopling 
was  given  to  understand  that  Mr.  Harley  would  pur 
chase  those  particular  shares,  stated  their  value  as  fif- 


882  THE  PRESIDENT 

teen  thousand  dollars,  and  said  that  Mr.  Harley  might 
send  his  check  to  Mr.  Fopling. 

This  missive  and  those  shares  being  safely  on  their 
road  to  Mr.  Harley,  Richard  made  speed  to  hunt  up 
Mr.  Fopling.  He  found  the  sinless  one  at  the  house 
of  his  beloved.  Fortune  favored  Richard;  Bess  was 
not  there,  being  across  with  Dorothy,  and,  save  for  the 
company  of  Ajax,  Mr.  Fopling  was  alone.  Mr.  Fop 
ling  was  in  the  Marklin  library,  glaring  ferociously  at 
Ajax,  who  was  blinking  disdainful  yellow  eyes  at  Mr. 
Fopling  by  way  of  retort. 

Richard  explained  to  Mr.  Fopling  that  through  cer 
tain  deals  in  stocks  he  had  become  possessed  of  two  hun 
dred  shares  of  one  of  Mr.  Harley's  pet  stocks.  Mr. 
Harley  would  give  anything  to  regain  them.  Richard 
desired  to  return  them  to  Mr.  Harley  without  being 
known  in  the  busineis.  Would  Mr.  Fopling  permit  him 
the  favor  of  his  name?  He  would  employ  Mr.  Fop- 
ling's  name  most  guardedly.  Richard  did  not  tell  Mr. 
Fopling  that  his  sacred  name  was  already  in  the  har 
ness  of  the  affair. 

The  benumbed  Mr.  Fopling,  by  listening  attentively, 
succeeded  in  getting  an  impression  that  Richard 
through  lucky  dexterity  and  sleight  had  obtained  some 
strange  hold  in  stocks  on  Mr.  Harley,  and  now  in  a  fool 
ish  leniency  was  about  to  let  him  go.  This  excited  Mr. 
Fopling  hugely  ;  he  put  in  a  most  vigorous  protest. 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      883 

"  Weallj,  Stawms,"  he  squeaked,  "  if  you've  twapped 
the  old  curmudgeon  you  must  stwip  him  for  his  last 
dime,  don't  y'  know  !  I  wemembah  a  song  my  governor 
used  to  sing;  he  said  it  was  his  motto.  The  song  wan 
like  this  : 

41  '  When  you  catch  a  black  cat,  skin  it,  skin  it  ! 
When  you  catch  a  black  cat,  skin  it  to  the  tail!" 


"  Yes,  Stawms,  use  my  name  as  f  weely  as  3^ou  please  ; 
but  I  pwotest  against  letting  up  on  this  old  cweature 
Harley." 

"  But,  my  dear  boy,"  observed  Richard,  "  you  must 
consider!  Mr.  Harley  is  to  be  my  father-in-law;  he's 
Dorothy's  father." 

Mr.  Fopling  declined  to  consider  what  he  called  a 
"  technicality."  Mr.  Harley  must  be  squeezed. 

"Weally,  Stawms,"  said  Mr.  Fopling,  "it's  the 
wules  of  the  game,  don't  y'  know." 

After  no  little  argument,  Mr.  Fopling  yielded  his 
point.  Mr.  Fopling,  however,  bethought  him  of 
troubles  of  his  own,  and  made  condition  that  Richard 
stand  his  friend  with  Bess  as  against  his  enemy,  Ajax. 

"  Bess  always  sides  with  Ajax,"  explained  Mr.  Fop 
ling  plaintively,  "  and  it  ain't  wight  !  " 

Richard  gave  Mr.  Fopling  a  fraternal  grip  with  his 
mighty  hand.  He  would  be  to  Mr.  Fopling  as  was 
Jonathan  to  David.  It  should  be  back  to  back  and  heel 


384  THE  PRESIDENT 

to  heel  with  them  against  Ajax,  Bess,  and  all  the  world! 
The  violent  loyalty  of  Richard  alarmed  Mr.  Fopling; 
he  threw  in  a  word  of  caution. 

"  You  mustn't  be  weckless,  Stawms." 

Bess  came  back  from  the  Harley  house,  and  found 
Richard  with  Mr.  Fopling.  Bess  reported  Dorothy's 
spirits  as  improved;  those  rays  of  comfort  emanating 
from  Richard's  promises  had  put  a  color  in  her 
cheek. 

"  The  promises  have  been  redeemed,"  observed  Rich 
ard,  "  and  I  came  to  tell  you  first  of  all — you  who  have 
been  our  truest  friend,"  and  here,  to  the  utter  outrage 
of  Mr.  Fopling's  sensibilities,  Richard  kissed  Bess's 
yellow  hair. 

"  Oh,  I  say,  Stawms !  "  squeaked  Mr.  Fopling  re 
proachfully. 

"  Mistake,  I  assure  you !  "  said  Richard,  again  giv 
ing  Mr.  Fopling  his  hand. 

"  Well,  please  don't  wepeat  it !  "  returned  Mr.  Fop 
ling  a  bit  sulkily.  "  It  gives  me  a  most  beastly  sensa 
tion,  don't  y'  know,  to  see  a  chap  cawessing  Bess ;  it 
does,  weally !  " 

"  Hush,  child !  "  said  Bess ;  "  you  excite  yourself 
about  nothing." 

Bess  was  for  having  Dorothy  over  on  the  strength 
of  the  good  news,  but  Richard  was  against  it, 
proudly. 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      385 

"  No,"  said  he.  "  With  Storri's  hold  upon  him,  Mr. 
Harley  asked  me  to  stay  away  from  his  house.  Now 
Storri's  hold  is  broken,  I  shall  give  him  a  chance  to  ask 
me  to  return." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  replied  Bess  teasingly.  "  Sir  Launce- 
lot  having  done  a  knightly  deed  and  rescued  a  fair  dam 
sel,  and  the  fair  damsel's  family,  from  a  dragon,  will 
give  his  vanity  an  outing." 

"  Only  till  to-morrow  evening !  "  protested  Richard, 
humbled  from  the  high  horse.  "  If  Mr.  Harley  doesn't 
invite  me  by  that  time,  I'll  invite  myself." 

"  If  Mr.  Harley  doesn't  invite  you  by  that  time," 
returned  Bess,  "  I  will  interfere.  Those  who  can't  see 
their  duty  must  be  shown  their  duty,  Mr.  Harley  among 
the  rest.  On  the  whole,  I  think  you  take  a  very  proper 
stand." 

Storri,  without  a  dollar,  lay  in  his  rooms  like  a 
wounded  wolf.  He  did  not  go  to  the  San  Reve;  he 
would  see  no  one  until  he  had  worn  down  his  anguish 
and  regained  control  of  himself.  Hurt  to  the  death, 
Storri  was  too  cunning  to  furnish  word  of  it  to  man 
kind.  No  one  must  know ;  it  was  the  instinct  of  self- 
preservation.  The  wounded  wolf,  while  his  wounds  are 
fresh,  avoids  the  pack  lest  the  pack  destroy  him.  And 
so  with  Storri ;  he  would  hide  until  he  could  command 
that  old-time  manner  of  unclouded  ease.  He  would 


386  THE  PRESIDENT 

stifle  every  surmise,  deny  every  rumor  if  rumor  blew 
about,  of  the  blow  he  had  received.  A  few  days,  and 
Storri  would  be  himself  again.  As  for  immediate 
money,  Storri  would  extort  that  from  Mr.  Harley,  who, 
in  his  dull-head  ignorance  or  worse,  had  been  the  author 
of  his  losses.  Who  first  spoke  of  Northern  Consoli 
dated?  Who  suggested  the  "  bear  "  raid?  Was  it  not 
Mr.  Harley?  The  affair  had  been  his;  the  loss  should 
be  his ;  Mr.  Harley  must  repay,  or  face  the  wrath  of 
Storri. 

"  Face  the  wrath  of  Storri !  "  exclaimed  that  furious 
nobleman  with  an  oath.  "  He  would  face  nobody- 
nothing  !  Bah !  that  Harley ;  he  is  a  dog  and  the 
coward  son  of  a  dog!  Yes,  he  shall  come  here;  he 
shall  crawl  and  crouch !  I,  Storri,  will  give  *him  the 
treatment  due  a  dog !  " 

Storri  wrote  a  blunt  word  to  Mr.  Harley  and  dis 
patched  it  to  that  shattered  capitalist. 

"  Come  to-night  at  nine,  you  Harley,"  said 
the  note,  "  and  do  not  presume  to  fail,  or  my  next 
communication  will  be  through  one  of  your  officers  of 
police." 

Storri  was  aware  that  the  French  shares  were  gone 
from  him,  but  he  counted  on  easily  tracking  them  and 
buying  them  back.  He  would  force  Mr.  Harley  to 
give  him  the  very  money  that  was  to  buy  them.  The 
thought  lighted  up  his  cruel  face  like  a  red  ray  from 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      387 

the  pit;  it  would  be  such  a  joke — such  a  triumph  over 
the  pig  American!  Meanwhile  he  would  bully  Mr. 
Harlej,  who  did  not  know  but  what  the  shares  were  in 
his  pocket. 

If  Storri  had  been  informed  of  how,  through  the  deep 
arrangements  of  that  strategist  of  stocks,  he  had  bor 
rowed  every  dollar  of  those  five  hundred  thousand  from 
Mr.  Bayard,  as  well  as  every  share  of  Northern  Con 
solidated  delivered  to  perfect  those  sales  that  had 
brought  him  down  in  ruin — in  short,  if  he  had  been 
told  the  whole  romance,  from  Mr.  Fopling's  exhorta 
tion  to  "  Bweak  him !  "  to  the  close  of  the  market  on 
that  crashing  Friday  afternoon,  he  might  have  been 
less  sure  of  recapturing  those  French  shares.  But 
he  was  ignorant  of  those  truths ;  and,  with  confi 
dence  bred  of  ignorance,  he  summoned  Mr.  Harley.  He, 
Storri,  would  browbeat  and  bleed  him;  he  would  teach 
the  caitiff  Harley  to  be  more  careful  of  the  favor,  not 
to  say  the  fortune,  of  a  Russian  nobleman. 

Mr.  Harley,  with  the  defeat  of  the  "  bear  "  attack 
on  Northern  Consolidated,  was  left  in  forlornest  case. 
He  was  aware  that  it  spelled  money-ruin  for  both  him 
and  Senator  Hanway;  but  the  picture  of  the  rage  of 
Storri,  and  what  that  savage  might  do  in  his  bit 
terness,  so  filled  up  his  thoughts  that  he  scarcely 
heeded  anything  beyond.  Mr.  Harley  was  stricken 
sick  by  his  own  fears,  and,  after  returning  from  New 


388  THE  PRESIDENT 

York  on  the  evening  of  that  fearful  Friday,  never 
moved  from  his  room.  To  the  anxious  tap  of  Dorothy, 
he  sent  word  that  he  was  not  ill,  but  very  busy ;  he  must 
not  be  disturbed.  Like  Storri,  only  more  a-droop,  Mr. 
Harley  owned  no  wish  for  company. 

Mr.  Harley  was  thus  broken  to  the  ground  when 
Storri's  message  found  him.  The  threat  at  the  tail, 
like  the  sting  at  the  tail  of  a  scorpion,  stunned  Mr. 
Harley  past  thinking.  He  could  neither  do  nor  plan ; 
he  could  only  utter  his  despair  in  groans. 

Two  hours  later,  and  while  he  lay  writhing,  Rich 
ard's  inclosure  of  the  French  shares  arrived  by  post. 
Mr.  Harley  at  sight  of  them  came  as  near  fainting  as 
any  gentleman  coarsely  grained  and  hearty  ever  comes. 
Ten  minutes  went  by  in  stupid  gazing,  and  in  handling 
and  feeling  those  certificates  that  were  to  him  as  is  the 
reprieve  that  comes  to  one  who  else  would  die  within 
the  hour. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  compensation,  and  the 
very  coarseness  of  which  you  have  now  and  again 
complained  made  most  for  the  rescue  of  Mr.  Harley 
at  this  crisis.  By  dint  of  that  valuable  coarseness, 
Mr.  Harley,  discovering  that  he  could  trust  his 
eyes, — he  at  one  time  doubted  those  visual  organs, — 
recovered  such  strength,  not  to  say  composure,  that  he 
ordered  up  a  quart  of  burgundy  and  drank  it  by  the 
goblet.  Under  this  wise  treatment,  and  with  the  re- 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD 

assuring  shares  in  his  clutch,  Mr.  Harley  became  a  new 
man. 

The  first  evidence  of  this  newness  given  to  the  world 
was  when  at  eight  o'clock  Mr.  Harley,  faultlessly 
caparisoned  and  in  full  evening  dress,  descended  upon 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  and  Dorothy.  The  ladies  were 
together  in  the  back  drawing-room  as  the  restored  Mr. 
Harley,  with  brow  of  Jove  and  warlike  eye,  strode  into 
their  startled  midst.  Establishing  himself  in  mighty 
state  before  the  fireplace,  rear  to  the  blaze,  he  gazed 
with  fondness,  but  as  though  from  towering  altitudes, 
on  Dorothy. 

"  Come  and  kiss  me,  child !  "  said  Mr.  Harley. 

Dorothy  obeyed  without  daring  to  guess  the  cause 
of  this  abrupt  affection. 

"  You  act  strangely,  Mr.  Harley !  "  commented  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley,  with  a  tinge  of  severity.  "  I  hope 
you  will  compose  yourself.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
Count  Storri  will  drop  in !  " 

"  Madam,"  shouted  Mr.  Harley  explosively,  "  I  shall 
shoot  that  scoundrel  Storri  if  he  puts  hand  to  my  front 
gate !  " 

"  John !  "  screamed  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  Madam,  I  shall  shoot  him  like  a  rat !  " 

Mr.  Harley  got  this  off  with  such  fury  that  it  struck 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  speechless.  She  was  the  more 
amazed,  since  she  knew  nothing  of  either  Mr.  Harley's 


390  THE  PRESIDENT 

wrongs  or  his  burgundy.  After  surveying  her  with  the 
utmost  majesty  for  a  moment,  Mr.  Harley  came  back 
to  Dorothy. 

"  There's  a  gentleman  named  Mr.  Storms  ?  " 

"Yes,  papa!"  (timidly). 

"You  love  him?" 

"Yes,  papa!"  (feebly). 

"  You  shall  marry  him  !  " 

"Yes,  papa!"   (blushingly). 

"John!"  (with  horror). 

"  Invite  him  to  dinner  to-morrow." 

"Yes,  papa!"  (rapturously). 

"  And  every  other  evening  you  choose !  " 

"Yes,  papa!"  (more  rapturously). 

"John!"  (with  a  gasp). 

"  And  now,  madam,"  observed  Mr.  Harley,  wheeling 
on  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  with  politeness  sudden  and 
vast,  "  I  am  ready  to  attend  to  you.  Let  me  commence 
by  mentioning  that  I  am  master  of  this  house,  and  shall 
give  dinners  when  I  will  to  whomsoever  I  please." 

"  But  you  said  marriage,  John,  and  Mr.  Storms  is  a 
pauper !  Think  what  you  do  !  " 

"  It  may  entertain  you,  madam,"  returned  Mr.  Har 
ley,  in  a  manner  of  grim  triumph,  "  to  hear  that  you 
also  are  a  pauper.  Yes,  madam,  you,  I,  Pat  Hanway 
— we  are  all  paupers.  Now  I  shall  go  to  your  scoun 
drel  Storri  and  tell  him  what  I  have  told  you.  Oh!  I 


NORTHERN  CONSOLIDATED  SOLD      391 

shall  not  murder  the  villain,  madam ;  though  I  give  you 
my  word,  if  there  were  no  one  to  think  of  but  Jack 
Harley,  I'd  return  to  you  blood  to  my  elbows;  yes, 
madam,  to  my  elbows ! "  and  Mr.  Harley  pulled  up  his 
coatsleeves  very  high  to  give  force  to  his  words. 

Lighting  a  cigar,  which  he  set  between  his  teeth  so 
that  it  projected  outward  and  upward  at  an  angle  of 
defiance,  Mr.  Harley  got  into  his  hat  and  greatcoat, 
and  made  for  the  door.  As  he  threw  it  open  prepara 
tory  to  issuing  forth,  there  floated  back  with  a  puff  of 
cigar  smoke  these  words,  delivered  presumably  for  the 
good  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley : 

"  Yes,  madam ;  blood  to  my  elbows !  " 

"  Your  father  is  insane !  "  groaned  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  to  Dorothy,  when  the  door  had  slammed  and 
Mr.  Harley  was  on  his  way  to  Storri,  "  absolutely  in 
sane!" 

Then  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  with  many  an  ejacula 
tion  of  self-pity  over  a  fate  that  had  made  her  help 
meet  to  a  lunatic,  called  her  maid  to  aid  her  in  creeping 
to  her  room.  As  for  Dorothy,  she  danced  about  as 
light  as  air;  in  the  finale  she  danced  across  the  way  to 
Bess  to  tell  that  sorceress  what  wonders  had  befallen. 

"  Eh !  you  Harley — you  John  Harley,  is  it  you  ?  ** 
jeered  Storri,  as  Mr.  Harley  was  shown  in. 

"  Yes,  you  black  villain  and  thief,  it  is  I ! "  roared 
Mr.  Harley,  planting  himself  in  front  of  Storri,  who 


892  THE  PRESIDENT 

had  not  taken  the  polite  trouble  to  get  up  from  the 
sofa  where  he  reclined.  "  Yes,  you  world's  scoundrel, 
who  but  I !  " 

"  Scoundrel?  "  repeated  Storri  with  a  screech,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet. 

"  Sit  down !  "  thundered  Mr.  Harley,  a  pistol  coming 
from  his  pocket  like  a  flash. 

Mr.  Harley  was  from  a  region  where  pistols  were 
regarded  in  the  light  of  arguments,  and  gentlemen 
gravely  debating  therewith  at  ten  paces  had  the  ap 
proving  countenance  of  the  public.  This  may  explain 
the  ready  grace  with  which  Mr.  Harley  produced  a 
specimen  of  that  species  of  artillery  when  Storri  seemed 
to  threaten  violence. 

"  Sit  down ! "  thundered  Mr.  Harley,  and  Storri, 
with  terror  twitching  at  his  lips,  obeyed.  Mr.  Harley 
replaced  the  pistol  in  his  pocket,  and  surveyed  Storri 
with  a  look  so  sinister  it  alarmed  that  nobleman  to  the 
heart.  "  I  have  come,"  continued  Mr.  Harley,  taking 
a  chair  and  maintaining  the  while  a  dangerous  eye  on 
Storri,  "  I  have  come  to  return  your  insults,  you  black 
mailing  rogue,  in  the  room  where  I  received  them." 


-x_ 

I     i     •.         ''  Y~7~r7T7,  •  <    ;  ^  ;  ^  ^ 

"Srr  DOWN!"  THLNDKKED  MK.   HAKI.EY 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

HOW    STORRI    EXPLORED    FOR    GOLD 

SHOULD  it  ever  be  your  fancy  to  witness  on  the 
part  of  any  gentleman  an  exhibition  of  ferocity 
unrestrained,  that  you  may  have  him  at  his 
best  for  your  experiment,  it  would  be  wise  to  commence 
by  subjecting  him  to  a  tremendous  fright.  Being  first 
frightened  and  then  relieved  from  his  terror,  and  par 
ticularly  if  his  nature  be  a  trifle  rough,  he  will  if 
brought  suddenly  into  the  presence  of  one  who  has  in 
jured  him  furnish  all  you  could  desire  in  a  picture  of 
the  sort  adverted  to.  And  thus  was  it  with  Mr.  Harley 
that  evening  when  he  called  on  Storri — now  no  longer 
terrible. 

The  offensive  utmost  that  one  gentleman  might  say 
to  another,  Mr.  Harley  said  to  his  aforetime  noble 
friend.  He  crushed  Storri  beneath  fourfold  what  bulk 
of  insolence  and  contumelious  remark  he  himself  had  re 
ceived,  for  at  that  fashion  of  conversation  Mr.  Harley 
was  Storri's  superior.  Mr.  Harley  rendered  Storri 
such  shameful  accounts  of  himself  that  the  latter  was 
well-nigh  consumed  with  what  inward  fires  were  ignited. 
Storri  burned  the  more  because  his  own  cowardly  alarms 

393 


394  THE  PRESIDENT 

tied  his  hands  and  gagged  retort  upon  his  tongue. 
Mr.  Harlej,  who  had  been  frightened  to  the  brink  of 
collapse  in  the  only  manner  that  Storri  might  have 
frightened  him,  now  refreshed  himself  unchecked  and 
fed  retaliation  to  the  full. 

Storri,  craven  to  the  roots,  must  fain  submit.  The 
murderous  facility  wherewith  Mr.  Harley  in  the  begin 
ning  invested  the  conversation  with  that  pistol  had  not 
been  lost  upon  Storri,  and  he  shivered  lest  the  inter 
view  conclude  with  his  own  murder.  Mr.  Harley, 
having  exhausted  expletive  and  opprobrious  term,  might 
empty  the  six  chambers  of  his  dreadful  weapon  into 
Storri.  Thus  spake  Storri's  fears,  and  he  cowered  while 
Mr.  Harley  raged.  Indeed,  the  tables  had  been 
turned,,  and  Mr.  Harley  wu,s  taking  virulent  advantage 
of  the  reversal.  Among  other  matters,  he  taunted 
Storri  with  his,  Mr.  Harley's,  possession  of  those  French 
shares,  and  gave  him  to  know  that  the  happy  transfer 
had  been  the  fruit  of  his, Mr.  Harley's,  own  superior  wit. 

"  For,"  said  Mr.  Harley,  with  no  more  noble  purpose 
than  to  augment  Storri's  pangs,  "  did  you  think  that 
one  of  my  depth  was  for  long  to  be  held  at  the  mercy 
of  such  a  dolt  as  yourself?  " 

"  Then  it  was  you,"  moaned  Storri,  who  made  the 
mistake  of  believing  what  Mr.  Harley  said,  "  then  it 
was  you  who  bought  Northern  Consolidated — you,  and 
your  confederates  to  whom  you  betrayed  us?  " 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    895 

Mr.  Harley  smiled  loftily,  and  was  silent  as  though 
disdaining  reply.  He  was  willing  to  have  Storri  think 
his  overthrow  due  to  him  and  him  alone.  It  would 
please  him  should  Storri  believe  that  he,  Mr.  Harley, 
had  conquered  not  only  the  possession  of  those 
shares,  but  of  the  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  which 
were  so  painfully  collected  as  Storri's  contribution  to 
the  pool's  four  millions.  It  would  promote  Mr.  Har- 
ley's  satisfaction  to  the  superlative ;  it  would  make 
Storri's  •humiliation  complete.  By  all  means  teach 
Storri  that  he,  Mr.  Harley,  constructed  the  ambush 
into  which  the  pool  had  sold  its  blindfold  way.  Where 
fore,  Mr.  Harley  with  shrug  and  sneer  consented  to 
Storri's  charges  of  betrayal,  and  intimated  his  own 
profitable  joy  of  that  treason.  After  thirty  minutes 
of  triumph,  Mr.  Harley,  mightily  restored  in  his  own 
graces,  arose  to  depart. 

"  And  for  a  last  word,  you  scoundrel,"  quoth  the 
loud  Mr.  Harley,  "  I  told  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  I  would 
shoot  you  if  you  so  much  as  laid  hand  to  my  front  gate. 
You  might  do  well  to  remember  that  promise;  I  have 
been  known  on  occasion  to  tell  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
the  truth." 

After  the  last  gloomy  notice  Mr.  Harley  went  his 
defiant  way,  while  Storri  sank  back  a  more  deeply 
wounded  wolf  than  ever. 

Mr.  Harley  drew  his  check  and  dispatched  it  to  Mr. 


896  THE  PRESIDENT 

Fopling,  and  Richard  in  due  course  received  a  check 
from  the  latter.  Mr.  Harley  did  not  allude  to  the 
transaction  on  those  few  and  distant  occasions  when 
he  and  Mr.  Fopling  met ;  and  Mr.  Fopling,  burdened 
of  his  feuds  with  Ajax,  soon  forgot  the  affair  in  matters 
more  important. 

Mr.  Harley,  when  emancipated  from  the  thraldom 
of  Storri,  was  as  dollarless  so  far  as  immediate  cash 
was  concerned  as  was  the  stripped  Storri  himself.  But 
in  the  rebound  of  spirit  which  followed,  Mr.  Harley's 
genius  regained  its  old-time  elasticity.  A  member  of 
the  House  with  whom  he  was  in  touch,  being  one 
of  that  speculative  party  wrho  opened  the  New  Year 
at  Chamberlin's  with  cards,  was  so  conveniently  good- 
natured  as  to  offer  a  measure  putting  coal  on  the  free 
list.  This,  if  passed,  would  be  a  woundy  blow  to  the 
Harley  mines ;  also  to  that  railway  whereof  Mr.  Harley 
was  a  director,  since  it  hauled  the  Harley  coal  to  the  sea 
board.  With  coal  on  the  free  list,  Nova  Scotia  could  un 
dersell  the  Harley  mines  in  every  Atlantic  port ; 
likewise  the  Harley  road  would  lose  two  millions  in 
annual  freight.  Under  these  threatening  conditions, 
Mr.  Harley  was  instantly  given  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  by  the  mines  and  the  railroad  to  kill  the  in 
iquitous  bill,  and  convert  to  a  right  opinion  any  and 
all  who  talked  of  coal  and  free  lists  in  one  and  the  same 
breath.  Those  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  relieved  the 


I 

i  \ 


sm 


?&;£->•/  v'Wv\  \vfV  '-. 

'>r^y   1'^   -^ 

V  >5«t-a,  A.Bbif'--<» 


UK  HKI.D  HKR  CI.«»SK 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    397 

pressing  needs  of  Mr.  Harley,  and  the  bill  that  threat 
ened  coal  and  railroads  was  heard  of  no  more. 

When,  following  Mr.  Harley's  gracious  words  con 
cerning*  Richard  and  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  discon 
solate  departure  for  her  own  room,  Dorothy  danced 
across  to  Bess,  the  yellow-haired  sorceress  rose  grandly 
to  the  opportunity.  She  sent  Mr.  Fopling  to  find  Rich 
ard;  and  since  Mr.  Fopling's  weakness  was  not  of  the 
legs — he  being  a  very  Mercury,  with  feet  as  fleet  as  his 
wits  were  slow — Dorothy  and  Bess  had  no  more  than  fin 
ished  giving  and  receiving  congratulations,  i.  e.,  kisses, 
when  Richard  appeared  and  took  Bess's  labor  of  con 
gratulation  off  her  hands — or  should  one  say  her 
lips  ?  Bess  was  of  those  excellent  folk  whose  fine  friend 
ships  know  when  to  go  as  well  as  when  to  stay,  and, 
Richard  arriving,  she  conveyed  Mr.  Fopling  and  Ajax 
from  the  room,  leaving  the  restored  lovers  to  them 
selves. 

Of  what  worth  now  to  tell  you  those  sweetheart 
things  that  Richard  and  his  angel  said  and  did?  How 
would  it  advantage  a  world  to  hear  that  he  took  her  in 
his  arms  and  held  her  close?  You,  who  have  loved  and 
have  been  loved,  who  were  lost  and  have  been  found 
again,  well  know  the  blissful  routine.  Richard  said 
that  no  woman  was  ever  loved  as  he  loved  Dorothy. 
Dorothy  the  beloved  replied  that  no  man  was  ever  loved 
as  she  loved  Richard.  Both  believed  both  statements 


398  THE  PRESIDENT 

as  they  did  the  Word.  And  yet  Adam  said  the  same 
thing  when,  wandering  in  Eden,  he  first  met  lovely  Eve, 
and  every  lover  has  said  the  same  thing  ever  since. 
Every  fire  boasts  itself  the  hottest,  every  lover  does 
the  same.  It  is  the  virtue  of  love  that  this  is  so,  and 
none  will  object  while  Dorothy  and  Richard  work  out 
their  tinted  destiny  on  lines  of  paradise.  They  had 
been  held  apart;  they  were  now  together;  rely  upon  it 
they  said  and  looked  those  softly  tender,  foolish,  happy, 
precedental  things  which  have  been  best  among  the  best 
lessons  of  the  ages. 

Mr.  Harley  was  pompous  and  patronizing  the  next 
evening  when  he  met  Richard  at  dinner  ;  but  Mr.  Harley 
was  no  less  kind.  Richard  submitted  himself  to  Mr. 
Harley's  patronage,  for  in  it  he  recognized  the  in 
alienable  right  of  a  father-in-law.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  on  that  dinner  occasion  did  not  pretend  to  the 
rugged,  high  good  humor  of  her  spouse,  and  cultivated 
a  manner  at  once  blighted  and  resigned.  But  she  was 
civil  eveoi  as  she  sighed,  and  he  would  have  been  a  carper 
who  complained.  Dorothy  was  beset  of  many  shynesses 
now  that  she  was  brought  with  her  beloved  into  the 
presence  of  ones  who  were  aware  of  her  secret  without 
possessing  sympathy  therewith.  Bess  was  there;  but 
Bess  did  not  weigh  upon  her,  since  Bess  applauded  her 
love.  Senator  Hanway  was  there ;  but  "  Uncle 
Pat  "  did  not  confuse  her,  since  he  cared  nothing  about 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD 

her  love.  It  was  Mr.  Harley  who  permitted,  and  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  who  tolerated,  her  heart's  choice  that 
set  her  cheeks  aflame.  Still  it  was  good  to  see  Richard 
sitting  across  in  the  serpent  stead  of  Storri — to  see 
one  whom  she  worshiped  where  one  whom  she  feared  and 
loathed  had  been  before!  It  was  twice  good  to  think 
the  present  was  immortal  while  the  past  was  dead.  As 
Dorothy  thought  these  things  and  sweetly  blushed  to 
think  them,  you  would  have  been  reminded  of  a  rose,  if 
her  blue  eyes  had  not  made  you  remember  violets,  or 
by  their  clear,  true,  tranquil  depths  led  you  away  to 
muse  on  summer  skies. 

Richard  bore  the  ordeal  of  that  dinner  manfully ;  or 
deal  it  was,  for  he  felt  himself  on  exhibition.  He  was 
rigorous  to  seem  unruffled,  and  defended  his  calmness  by 
talking  general  politics  with  Senator  Hanway.  Nor  did 
he  fall  into  the  error  of  speaking  of  tempests  in  the  stock 
market ;  and  as  for  the  recreant  Storri,  no  one  named 
him.  Bess  might  have  brought  Mr.  Fopling,  for  he 
was  asked,  could  she  have  trusted  that  young  gentleman 
on  this  point  of  Storri.  But  Mr.  Fopling  was  prone 
to  bring  up  the  one  subject  which  others  were  trying  to 
forget;  and,  realizing  his  tenacious  aptitude  for  crime 
of  that  character,  Bess  sent  him  home  and  came 
alone. 

Richard,  like  Storri  before  him,  only  with  a  better 
conscience,  did  not  crowd  good  fortune  to  the  wall ;  he 


400  THE  PRESIDENT 

left  early.  As  he  made  ready  to  go,  Mr.  Harley  in 
vited  him  not  only  to  another  dinner,  but  to  a  multi 
tude  of  such  refections.  Mr.  Harley,  having  been  thus 
hospitable,  swept  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  with  arrogant 
eye  as  who  should  say: 

"  There  lies  my  glove,  madam !  We  shall  see  who 
lifts  it!" 

Altogether,  Richard's  coming  to  the  Harley  house 
in  the  role  of  suitor  for  Dorothy's  small  hand  went  off 
well;  and  Dorothy  was  thinking  that  life  seemed  very 
beautiful  and  very  bright  when  four  hours  later  she 
fell  asleep,  and  rosy  dreams  relieved  her  thoughts  from 
further  duty  about  her  pillow  for  that  night. 

Senator  Hanway  and  Mr.  Harley,  being  veterans  of 
the  tape,  were  not  ignorant  of  the  hopeless  state  into 
which  the  failure  of  that  "  bear  "  raid  on  Northern 
Consolidated  had  plunged  them.  They  could  not  name 
him  who  had  worked  the  "  corner  "  against  them  and 
the  other  members  of  the  osprey  pool,  the  hand  that 
defeated  them  had  been  played  from  behind  a  curtain. 
Time,  however,  would  develop  the  identity  of  their 
conqueror;  nor  wras  his  identity  of  first  importance, 
since  the  great  thing  was  that  they  were  caught.  The 
best  they  might  do  wras  quietly  await  destruction  in  its 
coming.  It  would  surely  come ;  "  corners  "  were  not 
made  in  vain,  and  a  day  would  dawn  when  he  who  held 
them  captive  would  disclose  himself.  That  disclosure 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    401 

would  mean  for  them,  financially,  the  beginning  of  the 
end. 

Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway  might  have  repudi 
ated  the  deal,  and  so  saved  their  fortunes  at  the  sacri 
fice  of  their  names.  Indeed  they  thought  of  it ;  and 
then  they  shook  their  heads.  Such  a  step  would  ruin 
Senator  Hanway's  hopes  of  a  Presidency ;  those  hard 
years  of  political  labor  would  be  canceled;  his  chances, 
now  the  fairest,  would  be  swept  away  not  only  for  the 
present  but  for  time.  The  discovery  of  Senator  Han- 
way — he  who  wrote  the  report  against  Northern  Consol 
idated — as  a  partner  in  that  "  bear  "  raid,  would  strike 
his  name  forever  from  the  roll  of  Presidential  possi 
bilities.  It  might  even  result  in  his  expulsion  from  the 
Senate,  for  conspiracy  is  no  good  charge  to  face  when 
true.  Of  those  who  were  "  bears  "  against  Northern 
Consolidated,  from  Storri  to  the  old  gray  buccaneer, 
the  ones  who  must  submit  without  a  cry  to  being  flayed 
were  Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway,  for  with  them 
to  be  discovered  was  to  be  destroyed. 

After  fullest  conference,  Mr.  Harley  went  again  to 
New  York.  It  was  settled  that  the  old  gray  buccaneer 
should  continue  in  command.  When  he  who  had  beaten 
them  unmasked  himself,  the  old  gray  buccaneer  was  to 
treat,  for  generous  terms.  With  the  bankrupt  Storri 
out,  there  remained  but  seven  to  consider;  the  old  gray 
buccaneer  was  to  offer  a  round  ransom  of  seven  millions 


402  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  dollars,  or  one  million  for  each.  In  similar  fashion 
beaten  knights  compounded  in  the  dusty  lists  of  Ashby 
eight  hundred  years  ago ;  the  amount  of  ransom  that 
Ashby  day  was  less,  but  the  principle  throughout  the 
centuries  has  remained  unshaken  and  unchanged. 

After  four  days  of  wound-nursing,  Storri  went  to 
the  San  Reve.  He  found  that  lady  of  the  gray-green 
eyes  sitting  sullen  and  silent,  wrapped  in  resentful 
anger  like  a  witch's  cloak.  One  thing  in  his  favor ;  the 
San  Reve  had  not  heard  of  his  return,  and  supposed  him 
just  back  from  New  York. 

Storri  did  his  best  to  be  on  cheerful  terms  with  the 
San  Reve ;  he  said  his  business  was  now  accomplished 
and  he  would  see  her  every  day.  Storri  strove  all  he 
knew  to  soften  the  San  Reve  and  turn  her  frowns  to 
smiles.  He  failed;  nothing  would  unlock  that  flinty, 
hard  reserve. 

"About  the  Harleys,"  said  the  jealous  San  Reve 
at  last.  "  How  do  you  stand  with  the  Harleys?  You 
still  go  there?" 

The  San  Reve  shot  a  sharp,  inquiring  glance  at  Storri 
from  her  sea-green,  sea-gray  eyes. 

Storri,  being  feline,  was  as  has  been  written  no  one 
hard  to  rout,  and  could  be  readily  driven  from  an  enter 
prise.  With  the  loss  of  those  French  shares,  his  de 
signs  on  Mr.  Harley  and  his  power  over  Dorothy  had 
fallen  to  the  ground.  He  was  left  with  nothing  more 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    403 

potent  than  his  naked  hatred.  He  was  more  hungry 
than  before  for  harm  against  the  Harleys,  but  the  new 
conditions  baffled  him  as  might  some  bridgeless  gulf. 
He  could  see  no  open  way  through  which  he  might  find 
his  enemies  and  overcome  them. 

But  Storri  had  his  miserable  prides,  and  would  perish 
where  he  stood  rather  than  tell  the  San  Reve  this. 
With  her  he  must  pretend  to  power;  he  must 
swagger  and  boast  'more  loudly  than  before.  This 
was  the  vanity  and  the  strategy  of  the  man.  He 
would  have  thrust  his  hand  into  the  fire  sooner  than 
confess  himself  beaten  by  Mr.  Harley  to  the  San 
Reve.  She  must  continue  to  wonder  at  and  wor 
ship  him ;  it  was  the  incense  demanded  by  the  nostrils  of 
his  self-love. 

"  How  do  I  stand  with  those  Harleys,  my  San 
Reve?  "  Storri's  tone  was  supercilious  and  tired,  as 
though  he  had  been  forced  to  remember  ones  who  wearied 
him  by  vulgar est  dint  of  their  inconsequence.  "  I  do 
not  stand  with  the  Harleys,  I  stand  upon  them.  Where 
should  such  crawling,  footless  creatures  be?  "  and 
Storri  pointed  to  his  own  somewhat  ample  foundations 
as  indicating  the  groveling  whereabouts  of  the  Harleys. 

"  But  you  go  there  ?  "  remarked  the  San  Reve,  flintily 
suspicious. 

"  No,  my  San  Reve,"  yawned  Storri.  "  Pardon  my 
grossness ; — a  yawn  in  the  presence  of  a  lady,  and  I  a 


404  THE  PRESIDENT 

Russian  gentleman!  I  took  the  habit  from  these  pig 
Americans !  You  should  know,  my  dear  San  Reve,  that 
the  very  name  of  Harley  bores  me.  No,  I  shall  no 
more  go  to  those  Harleys.  They  send,  they  beg;  I 
do  not  go.  Why  should  I  so  honor  them?  Bah!  let 
them  come  to  me!  Is  a  Russian — is  a  nobleman  to  be 
at  the  beck  of  such  vile  little  people?  No,  they  must 
come  to  me,  your  Storri,  my  San  Reve ;  and  when  they 
arrive,  bah !  I  shall  not  sec  them.  I  shall  tell  them  they 
must  come  again ! "  And  Storri  lifted  his  hand 
grandly,  as  though  the  Harleys  were  now  disposed  of 
and  their  trivial  status  fixed. 

Storri  threw  this  off  with  a  lazy  insolence  that,  all 
things  considered,  did  him  credit.  And  yet  he  was  not 
wise.  He  might  not  have  told  the  San  Reve  that  he  had 
ended  his  visits  to  the  Harleys,  but  her  bold  brow  and 
thoughtful  face  misled  him.  He  regarded  her  as 
deeper  than  she  was ;  he  considered  that  she  would  soon 
discover  how  he  no  longer  was  a  guest  at  the  Harley 
table,  and  thought  to  save  himself  from  an  inference 
by  a  proclamation.  He  would  take  the  initiative  and 
seem  to  cast  the  Harleys  into  the  outer  darkness  of  his 
disregard.  It  would  make  for  his  standing  with  the  San 
Reve;  more,  it  would  soothe  her  jealousies. 

Storri  might  have  been  justified  of  his  reasonings 
had  there  existed  no  flaw  in  his  premises.  The  San 
Jleve  was  far  from  being  gifted  with  that  cold,  incisive 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    405 

wisdom  which  he  ascribed  to  her.  Given  a  situation 
wherein  the  San  Reve  had  no  concern,  and  she  would  be 
sound  enough ;  her  speculations  would  defend  them 
selves,  her  advice  be  worth  a  following.  Endow  the 
San  Reve  with  a  personal  interest,  the  more  if  that  in 
terest  were  one  mixed  of  love  and  jealousy,  and  her 
reason,  if  that  be  its  name,  would  go  blind  and  deaf 
and  lapse  into  the  merest  frenzy  of  insanity.  She 
would  hasten  to  believe  the  worst  and  disbelieve  the  best. 
Under  spell  of  jealousy,  the  San  Reve  would  accept 
nothing  that  told  in  her  own  favor;  and  just  now, 
despite  an  outward  serenity — for,  though  sullen,  she 
was  serene — the  San  Reve  was  afire  with  jealousy  like 
a  torch. 

The  San  Reve  listened  to  Storri  and  said  nothing; 
she  could  see  how  matters  stood.  Storri  still  dominated 
the  Harleys;  he  went  there;  he  saw  Miss  Harley;  his 
suit  was  advancing ;  that  was  what  had  sent  him  to  her, 
the  San  Reve,  with  a  lie  on  his  lips  about  having  quit 
his  calls  at  the  Harleys' ;  he  was  seeking  to  blind  her 
to  what  was  passing.  But  she,  the  San  Reve,  would 
be  cunning ;  she  would  fathom  the  traitor  Storri.  Even 
then  she  could  foretell  the  end.  In  a  week,  or  mayhap 
a  month,  the  news  would  reach  her  of  the  wedding  of 
Storri  and  Miss  Harley.  What  else  could  come? 
Storri  was  a  Count.  Were  not  Americans  mad  after 
Counts?  And  such  a  nobleman!  Wealthy,  handsome, 


406  THE  PRESIDENT 

brilliant,  bold — who  could  refuse  his  love?  Not  the 
Harleys — not  Miss  Harley  !  No,  the  transparent  sure- 
ness  of  it  set  sneeringly  a-curl  the  San  Reve's  mouth. 
Soon  or  late,  Storri  would  lead  Miss  Harley  to  the 
altar.  The  bells  would  ring,  the  organ  swell,  the  people 
gape  and  comment.  And  then  Storri  and  his  bride 
would  ride  away ;  while  she,  the  San  Reve — she,  the  dis 
graced — she,  the  daughter  of  a  man  who  tamed  lions — 
she  would  be  left  alone  with  her  despised  heart ! 

All  this  wild  driftwood  of  conjecture  came  riding 
down  on  the  swift,  tumbling  currents  of  the  San  Reve's 
thoughts,  and  to  her  these  mad  conclusions  were  as 
prophecy.  What  should  she  do — she  and  her  poor 
love?  She  must  not  lose  her  idol — her  Storri!  What 
should  she  do?  She  had  written  this  Mr.  Storms  of 
the  French  shares  and  nothing  had  come  of  that ! 
Should  she  disclose  herself  to  Miss  Harley?  Of 
what  avail?  What  woman  was  ever  withheld  from 
wedding  a  man  by  the  word  of  that  man's  mistress? 
The  San  Reve  could  have  scorned  herself  for  a  fool! 
She  was  handless  to  interfere;  the  San  Reve  clenched 
her  white,  strong  teeth  to  find  herself  so  much  at  bay. 

Stop ;  there  was  one  chance  of  defeating  fate — a  sure 
chance ;  the  thought  had  come  before !  And  now  the 
San  Reve  looked  strangely  at  Storri ;  her  teeth  showed 
pearl  against  the  coral  of  her  parted  lips  while  her 
nostrils  dilated  like  the  nostrils  of  an  animal. 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    407 

The  little  world  you  have  been  considering  through 
the  medium  of  this  veracious  chronicle  began  now  to 
adjust  itself  to  the  changes  that  have  been  recorded. 
Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway,  for  their  parts,  gave 
themselves  wholly  to  that  winning  of  a  White  House; 
their  ardor,  if  it  were  possible,  had  been  promoted  by 
the  reverse  in  Northern  Consolidated,  and  Senator 
Hanway's  anxiety  to  be  President  appeared  to  brighten 
as  his  money-fortunes  dimmed.  And,  as  though  Fate 
meditated  amends  for  those  disasters  of  stocks,  from 
every  angle  of  politics  there  came  flattering  reports. 
Senator  Hanway  was  sure,  so  said  the  reports,  to  write 
himself  "  President  Hanway  " ;  politicians  were  shoul 
dering  one  another  to  secure  seats  in  the  bandwagon  of 
that  statesman's  prospects.  True,  for  all  their  preoccu 
pation,  Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway  would  now 
and  then  glance  up  from  those  details  of  practical  poli 
tics  over  which  they  were  employed,  to  wonder  why  the 
hidden  one  of  that  "  corner  "  did  not  close  the  transac 
tion  by  peeling  off  their  fiscal  pelts.  So  far  there  had 
come  neither  word  nor  sign  of  him. 

The  old  gray  buccaneer  exhorted  them  in  no  wise  to 
be  uneasy. 

"You  needn't  fret,"  said  the  old  gray  buccaneer; 
"  he's  got  us  as  fast  as  two  and  two  make  four.  For 
us  to  be  wondering  why  he  doesn't  come  around  is  as 
though  a  coop  full  of  turkeys  went  wondering  why  the 


408  THE  PRESIDENT 

poulterer  didn't  come  around.  No ;  I  can't  tell  you 
why  he — whoever  he  is — so  leaves  us  in  protracted 
peace.  Perhaps  he's  fattening  us,"  and  the  old  gray 
buccaneer  cheered  the  conversation  with  a  laugh  as 
strident  as  saw-filing. 

Richard  and  Dorothy,  following  the  selfish  fashion 
of  lovers,  thought  on  nothing  but  themselves.  Our 
young  journalist's  contributions  to  the  Daily  Tory  fell 
away  in  both  quantity  and  quality,  and  the  editor  com 
mented  thereon  sarcastically,  saying  they  were  becoming 
"  baggy  at  the  knee."  Richard  did  not  resent  the 
criticism ;  he  cheered  himself  with  the  theory  that  when 
he  had  recovered  from  his  happiness  he  would  do  better. 
Meanwhile,  he  and  Dorothy  privily  appointed  their 
nuptials  for  the  first  of  June,  taking  Bess  into  the 
secret. 

Dorothy  asked  Richard  how  he  had  rescued  her  father 
from  beneath  the  hand  of  Storri ;  which  natural  inquisi 
tion  Richard  avoided  in  right  man-fashion  by  kissing 
the  questioning  lips  and  saying  that  Dorothy  wouldn't 
understand. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  different  from  Dorothy. 
With  a  wifely  experience  of  many  years  to  guide  her, 
she  did  not  ask  Mr.  Harley  why  he  had  gone  to  furious 
war  with  Storri.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  would  not  put 
the  query  for  two  reasons:  Mr.  Harley  would  prevari 
cate;  besides,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  knew.  It  was  as 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    409 

obvious  as  a  pikestaff  to  that  sagacious  gentlewoman; 
Mr.  Harley  and  Storri  had  quarreled  over  stocks.  Mr. 
Harley  had  been  detected  in  some  effort  to  swindle 
Storri ;  or  he  had  detected  Storri  in  some  effort  to 
swindle  him ;  men  were  always  swindling  and  quarreling, 
according  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  She  put  no  ques 
tion  to  Mr.  Harley,  and  only  marveled  at  a  thickness 
that  would  sacrifice  the  family's  chance  of  possessing 
a  Count  over  a  low,  trifling  matter  of  dollars  and 
cents. 

Inspector  Val,  when  th?  capture  of  the  French  shares 
had  removed  the  reason  of  his  appearance  in  Storri's 
destinies,  told  Richard  that  he  would,  with  his  permis 
sion,  still  continue  on  the  trail  of  that  nobleman. 

"  Unless  my  judgment  be  at  fault,"  explained  In 
spector  Val,  "  there's  something  coming  off  that  I 
wouldn't  miss  for  anything  you  can  name." 

Richard,  held  fast  with  sweeter  problems,  cared  not 
at  all  for  Storri  nor  Inspector  Val's  pursuit  of  him. 
If  it  jumped  with  the  humor  of  that  scientist  of  stealth, 
Inspector  Val  might  follow  Storri  to  the  grave.  Rich 
ard  would  be  pleased  to  have  him  do  so,  and  to  pay 
the  costs  thereof  as  rapidly  as  they  accrued. 

Inspector  Val,  whose  trade  it  was  to  read  men,  smiled 
upon  Richard  at  this  and  went  his  satisfied  way.  He 
would  stick  to  Storri;  and  he  would  notify  Richard 
should  aught  unusual  either  promise  or  occur.  Inspec- 


410  THE  PRESIDENT 

tor  Val  saw  that  in  Richard's  present  mood  of  beatific 
imbecility  a  conference  with  him  would  mean  no  more 
than  would  a  conference  with  the  Monument. 

Storri,  while  easily  beaten  from  any  specific  enter 
prise,  was  ever  ready  with  a  fresh  one.  During  those 
days  when,  like  a  convalescing  wolf,  he  lay  hiding  with 
his  wounds  from  the  sight  and  search  of  men,  his  dis 
orderly  and,  one  might  say,  his  criminal,  imagination 
busied  itself  in  sketching  a  giant  scheme.  It  was 
as  unique  as  had  been  the  fallen  Credit  Magellan 
without  owning  to  a  shadow  of  Credit  Magellan's 
legitimacy.  This  time  Storri  would  have  no  partners ; 
there  would  be  no  Mr.  Harlcys  and  no  osprcy  pools  to 
sell  him  out.  Before  all  was  done  he  might  require 
men ;  but  of  the  sort  one  controls  like  slaves. 

There  was  one  need  that  must  be  supplied,  however; 
Storri  must  have  money.  Stimulated  with  the  necessi 
ties  that  pricked  him,  Storri  bethought  himself  of  the 
Chinese  Concession.  That  precious  document  was  in 
his  possession ;  the  osprey  pool  had  not  been  granted  its 
custody.  Storri  carried  the  saffron  silk  to  a  rich  and 
avaricious  man;  he  asked  the  loan  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  and  offered  interest  steeple-high.  The  .man  of 
wealth  and  avarice  was  deeply  affected;  he,  like  the 
others,  sent  for  the  brocaded,  poppy-scented  Mongol. 
The  poppy  Mongol  came,  salaamed,  translated,  and 
went  his  way.  Then  the  one  of  gold  and  avarice  counted 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    411 

down  the  fifty  thousand,  and  locked  up  the  yellow  silk 
with  Storri's  note  for  ninety  days  in  his  safe. 

Being  strengthened  with  those  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
Storri  sought  an  ancient  surveyor.  Did  the  ancient  one 
possess  an  accurate  map  of  Washington? — a  map  that 
showed  every  public  building  and  park  and  street-rail 
way  and  water-main  and  sewer,  all  done  to  the  final 
fraction  of  an  inch?  Storri's  Czar  has  asked  for  such ; 
—his  Czar  who  so  admired  the  Americans  and  their  beau 
tiful  Capital ! 

The  ancient  one  of  chains  and  levels  had  such  a  map. 
Being  a  man  to  whom  a  unit  was  like  a  human  being  and 
every  fraction  as  a  child,  the  map  was  accurate  in  its 
measurements  to  the  thickness  of  a  hair.  Storri  bought 
the  map ;  it  showed  the  line  of  that  drain  which  ran  so 
temptingly  close  to  the  Treasury  gold,  and  Storri's  eye 
glistened  as  he  followed  it  to  the  river's  edge. 

Storri  collected  photographs  of  the  Capitol,  the 
White  House,  and  other  public  structures  as  a  blind 
to  conceal  his  purpose  and  lend  luster  of  truth  to  those 
tales  of  his  Czar's  interest  in  things  American.  One 
evening  Storri  related  to  the  San  Reve  his  Czar's  desires 
touching  maps  and  plans  and  pictures,  and  showed  her, 
among  others,  a  picture  of  the  Treasury. 

Ah,  that  reminded  Storri !  His  San  Reve  worked  in 
the  office  of  the  supervising  architect!  Could  his  San 
Reve  procure  him  a  ground-plan  of  the  Treasury  Build- 


412  THE  PRESIDENT 

ing?  His  Czar  had  laid  especial  stress  upon  such  a 
drawing ! 

Yes,  Storri's  San  Reve  could  get  the  desired  ground- 
plan  without  difficulty.  It  would  show  everything 
foundational,  with  a  cross-section  displaying  the  depth 
of  the  walls  below  street  grades. 

The  San  Reve  accepted  as  genuine  Storri's  eagerness 
to  serve  his  Czar.  Nor  did  she  doubt  Storri's  descrip 
tion  of  the  Czar's  American  curiosity ;  from  what  she 
had  heard  of  that  potentate,  the  San  Reve  believed  him 
to  be  as  crazy  as  a  woman's  watch.  Certainly,  if  Storri 
wished  to  send  the  imperial  lunatic  a  cartload  of  plans, 
the  San  Reve  would  contribute  what  lay  in  her  power. 

The  next  day  Storri  received  from  the  San  Reve  a 
ground-plan  of  the  Treasury  Building.  It  exhibited  in 
red  ink  the  vault  that  held  the  gold  reserve.  Storri 
gazed  upon  that  oblong  smudge  of  red  and  studied  its 
location  with  the  devotion  of  a  poet. 

And  now  what  was  to  be  more  expected  than  that  the 
curious  Czar  would  ask  questions  of  Storri,  when  that 
illustrious  Russian  returned  to  St.  Petersburg,  concern 
ing  those  many  superiorities  which  the  American  build 
ings  possessed?  The  thought  set  the  indefatigable 
Storri  to  visiting  the  public  buildings.  He  made  a  tour 
of  the  State  War  and  Navy  Building,  the  Corcoran 
Gallery,  the  Capitol,  and  finally  the  Treasury  Building. 
Who  should  escort  him  through  that  latter  grim,  gray 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    413 

edifice  but  an  Assistant  Secretary?  The  affable  A.  S. 
had  met  Storri  at  the  club ;  certainly  he  could  do  no 
less  than  give  him  the  polite  credit  of  his  countenance 
for  his  instructive  rambles.  Under  such  distinguished 
patronage  Storri  went  from  roof  to  basement;  even 
the  vault  that  guarded  the  nation's  gold  was  thrown 
open  for  his  regard. 

This  gold  vault  was  of"  particular  moment  to  Storri ; 
his  Czar  had  laid  weight  upon  that  vault.  Yes;  he, 
Storri,  could  see  how  it  was  constructed — thick  walls 
of  masonry — an  inner  lining  of  chilled  steel  that  would 
laugh  at  drills  and  almost  break  the  teeth  of  nitric  acid 
• — the  steel  ceiling  and  sides  bolted  to  the  masonry — 
the  floor,  steel  slabs  two  feet  in  width,  laid  side  by  side 
but  not  bolted,  and  bedded  upon  masonry  that  rested 
on  the  ground!  Surely,  nothing  could  be  more  solid 
or  more  secure !  The  door  and  the  complicated  ma 
chinery  that  locked  it  were  wonders,  marvels !  Nowhere 
had  he,  Storri,  beheld  such  a  door  or  such  a  lock,  and 
he  had  peeped  into  the  strong  rooms  of  a  dozen  kings. 
The  gold,  too,  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  millions  in 
all,  packed  five  thousand  dollars  to  a  sack  in  little  can 
vas  sacks  like  bags  of  birdshot,  and  each  sack  weighing 
twenty  pounds — Storri  saw  it  all! 

"  And  yet,"  quoth  Storri,  giving  the  polite  Assistant 
Secretary  a  kind  of  leer,  "  do  not  that  door  and  lock 
remind  you  of  the  chains  and  locks  upon  your  leathern 


414  THE  PRESIDENT 

letterbags? — a  leathern  bag  which  the  most  ignorant 
of  men  would  slash  wide  open  with  a  penknife  in  an 
instant  and  never  worry  chains  and  locks  ?  " 

Storri  traced  that  drain  in  its  course  to  the  river.  It 
ran  south  past  the  corner  of  the  Treasury  Building 
for  the  matter  of  a  hundred  yards  or  more,  and  then 
broke  south  and  west  across  the  White  Lot  between  the 
White  House  and  the  Monument.  In  the  end  it  aban 
doned  this  diagonal  flight  and  soberly  took  to  the  center 
of  a  street  that  lay  to  the  west  of  the  White  House,  and 
followed  it  to  the  Potomac. 

Storri,  hands  in  pocket  and  puffing  an  easy  cigar, 
sauntered  to  the  water  front  and  took  a  look  at  the 
drain  where  it  finished.  The  inspection  gratified  him ; 
the  drain  was  like  a  great  tunnel ;  one  might  have 
driven  a  horse  and  wagon  into  it.  Storri  was  especially 
struck  by  the  fact  that  a  considerable  stream  of  water 
gushed  from  the  drain's  mouth;  the  stream  had  a  fair 
current,  four  miles  an  hour  at  least,  and  showed  a  depth 
of  full  six  inches.  This  was  a  discovery  that  set 
Storri's  wits  in  motion ;  the  drain  boxed  in  a  living 
brook. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  that  night  when  Storri  returned 
to  the  mouth  of  the  drain ;  he  was  wrapped  in  a  great 
coat  and  wore  high  boots.  There  were  no  houses 
about;  as  for  loiterers,  the  region  was  deserted  after 
dark.  Storri  looked  out  on  the  broad  bosom  of  the  river ; 


HOW  STORRI  EXPLORED  FOR  GOLD    415 

he  noticed  that  even  at  low  tide  a  boat  drawing  no  more 
than  eighteen  inches  might  push  within  a  dozen  feet  of 
the  drain. 

Satisfied  that  no  one  observed  him,  Storri  stepped  to 
the  mouth  of  the  drain  and  disappeared.  He  splashed 
along  in  the  running  water  with  his  heavy  boots  for 
something  like  a  rod;  then  he  stopped  and  lighted  a 
bicycle  lantern  which  he  took  from  his  greatcoat 
pocket.  The  lantern  threw  a  bright  flare  after  the 
manner  of  the  headlight  of  a  locomotive,  and  Storri 
could  hear  the  scurrying  splash  of  the  rats  as  it 
sent  an  alarming  ray  ahead  like  a  little  searchlight. 
Being  lighted  on  his  way,  Storri  kept  steadily  for 
ward  until,  turning  the  corner  where  the  drain  broke 
to  the  right  across  the  White  Lot,  he  was  lost  to 
sight. 

As  Storri  disappeared,  two  men  far  behind  him  at  the 
mouth  of  the  drain  stood  watching.  They  had  thus  far 
followed  Storri  dimly  with  their  eyes  by  the  light  he 
carried. 

"  What's  become  of  him,  Inspector? "  whispered 
Mr.  Duff,  the  shorter  of  the  men.  "  He  hasn't  doused 
his  glim,  has  he?" 

"  No,"  replied  Inspector  Val,  "  there's  a  bend  at  that 
point." 

"  What's  next?  "  asked  Mr.  Duff;  "  do  we  follow  him 
in  and  collar  him?  or  do  we  just  wait  here?  " 


416  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Collar  him !  "  repeated  Inspector  Val  disgustedly. 
"  I'd  like  to  catch  you  collaring  him !  Is  this  a  time  to 
talk  of  collaring,  and  we  no  further  than  the  threshold 
of  the  job?  Let  him  alone;  he's  only  laying  out  the 
work  to-night." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HOW    LONDON    BILL   TOOK    A    PAL 

PERHAPS  the  golden  rule  of  all  detective 
work  is,  Never  let  the  detected  one  detect. 
Inspector  Val  was  alive  to  this  ordinance  of 
his  craft,  and  an  hour  later,  when  Storri  cautiously 
emerged  from  the  drain,  he  met  neither  sign  nor  sound 
of  Inspector  Val  and  Mr.  Duff.  Feeling  sure  that  his 
exploration  had  not  been  observed,  Storri  wended  home 
ward  to  his  rooms,  his  chin  sunk  in  meditation. 

Storri  the  next  day  went  to  New  York,  and  imme 
diately  on  arrival  at  that  hotel  which  he  designed  to 
honor  with  his  custom  he  sprang  into  a  hansom,  and 
within  ten  minutes  was  at  a  private-detective  agency, 
being  the  one  whereat  he  aforetime  procured  those  spies 
to  set  about  the  Harley  house — spies  long  since  with 
drawn.  The  head  of  this  detective  bureau  was  a  coarse- 
visaged,  brandy-blotched  man  named  Slater. 

"  And  so,"  observed  Mr.  Slater,  following  a  state 
ment  of  Storri's  errand,  "  you  want  to  be  put  next  to  a 
'peter-man,  what  we  call  a  box-worker?  " 

"  I  would  like  to  meet  the  best  in  the  business,"  said 

417 


418  THE  PRESIDENT 

Storri ;  "  one  also  who  is  acquainted  with  others  in  his 
line,  and  who  can  be  relied  upon  to  the  death." 

"  You  want  something  desperate,  eh  ? "  said  Mr. 
Slater,  in  a  tone  of  suspicion.  "  Might  I  ask  whether 
you  have  a  safe  to  blow  or  a  crib  to  crack  on  your  own 
private  account?  I'm  a  cautious  man,  myself,"  he  con 
cluded,  with  a  harsh  chuckle,  "  and  like  to  know  what 
I'm  getting  mixed  up  with." 

"  Your  caution  is  to  be  commended,"  returned  Storri, 
"  and  I'll  answer  freely.  No,  I've  no  one  to  rob,  no 
safe  to  break  open.  The  truth  is,  I  want  to  prosecute 
a  search  for  a  certain  criminal,  and  I  think  a  man  of 
the  stamp  I  wish  to  meet  could  help  me  more  than  a  reg 
ular  detective  whose  person  is  known  and  who  would  be 
instantly  suspected.  I'm  not  looking  to  arrest,  but  only 
to  find  a  certain  man.  I  shall  pay  him  to  whom  you  send 
me  for  his  trouble,  and  you  for  putting  me  in  touch 
with  him." 

"  It's  an  irregular  thing  to  do,"  remarked  Mr.  Slater, 
"  but  I  see  no  harm." 

Mr.  Slater  rang  a  bell  and  asked  for  Mr.  Norris. 

"  Norris,"  said  Mr.  Slater,  "  this  party  wants  to  be 
put  next  to  London  Bill — wants  to  be  made  solid  with 
Bill.  That's  as  far  as  you  go." 

"  All  right,"  said  Mr.  Norris.  Then  addressing 
Storri :  "  If  you  come  now,  I  think  I  can  locate  your 
man  in  fifteen  minutes." 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL      419 

Storri  and  Mr.  Norris  drove  to  a  doggery  near  the 
East  River,  in  the  vicinity  of  James  Slip.  It  was 
called  the  Albion  House.  The  lower  floor  was  a  bar 
room,  and  two  or  three  sinister-looking  characters 
lounged  about  the  room.  Mr.  Norris  ordered  beer; 
then  he  leaned  across  to  the  barman  and  whispered  a 
question. 

"  Why,  yes,"  returned  the  barman,  looking  hard  at 
Mr.  Norris  as  though  to  read  his  errand,  "  Bill's  been 
here.  But  it's  on  the  square ;  he  ain't  doin'  nothin'.  I 
don't  think  he's  seein'  company  neither." 

"  This  is  on  the  level,  Dan,"  said  Mr.  Norris,  who 
appeared  to  be  on  terms  of  acquaintance  with  the  bar 
man.  "  Let  me  make  you  known  to  Mr.  Brown.,"  he  con 
tinued,  introducing  Storri.  "  Now  here's  all  there  is 
to  it.  Mr.  Brown  thinks  Bill  can  put  him  wise  to  a 
party  he's  got  business  with.  There's  no  pinch  goes 
with  it,  and  Mr.  Brown's  willing  to  do  the  handsome." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  barman  doubtfully,  "  if  Bill's 
about,  I'll  see  what  he  thinks  himself."  With  this,  the 
barman,  who  was  a  brutal  specimen  with  lumpy  shoul 
ders  and  a  nose  that  had  seen  better  days,  called  one 
of  the  loungers  to  preside  in  his  stead,  and  retired 
through  a  door  to  the  rear.  He  returned  in  a  moment 
saying  that  Bill  would  see  the  caller,  and  jerked  his 
stubby  thumb  in  the  direction  of  a  back  room. 

"  This  is  a  boozing  ken  for    hold-up    people,"    ex- 


420  THE  PRESIDENT 

plained  Mr.  Norris  in  a  whisper,  as  he  and  Storri 
obeyed  the  hint  tendered  by  the  barman's  thumb. 
"  That  bar-keep,  Dan,  used  to  be  a  strong-arm  man 
himself;  but  since  he's  got  this  joint,  he  doesn't  do  any 
work,  and  has  turned  fall-guy  for  a  fleet  that  operates 
along  the  Bowery." 

Storri  knew  nothing  of  "  strong-arm  men,"  and 
"  fall-guys,"  and  "  fleets,"  but  he  put  no  questions,  and 
only  seemed  intent  on  meeting  London  Bill. 

In  the  rear  room  that  formidable  outlaw  was  dis 
covered  seated  at  a  table.  He  was  alone,  and  evidently 
had  just  come  from  upstairs,  as  a  door  leading  to  the 
stairway  was  ajar.  Mr.  Norris  presented  Storri  to 
London  Bill,  and,  this  social  ceremony  over,  made  few 
words  of  it  before  withdrawing  altogether,  leaving 
Storri  and  his  new  friend  to  themselves. 

"  Suppose  we  drink  something,"  said  London  Bill,  in 
non-committal  tones. 

Storri  ordered  beer  in  a  bottle,  cork  untouched; 
Storri  had  heard  of  knockout  mixtures,  and  did  not 
care  to  make  his  advent  into  upper  criminal  circles  in  the 
role  of  victim.  London  Bill  grinned  in  a  wise  way,  but 
made  no  comment,  calling  for  gin  himself. 

"  What  is  it?  "  said  London  Bill,  after  the  gin  had 
appeared  and  disappeared ;  "  what's  the  argument  you 
want  to  hand  me?  " 

« I  don't  care  to  talk  here,"  observed  Storri,  glanc- 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       421 

ing  suspiciously  at  the  walls  within  touch  of  his  hand. 
"  Let  us  go  outside." 

"  That's  it,"  observed  London  Bill ;  "  now  if  we  was 
to  go  plantin'  ourselves  in  Union  Square,  or  any  little 
open-air  place  like  that,  it's  ten  to  one  some  Bull  from 
the  Central  Office  would  come  along  an'  spot  us.  They're 
onto  my  mug ;  got  it  in  the  gallery  in  fact." 

"  We  can't  talk  here,"  said  Storri  decidedly. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  suggested  London  Bill,  who  it  was 
clear  had  grown  curious  as  to  Storri's  errand,  "  I  think 
I  can  fix  the  thing."  He  stepped  into  the  bar  and  re 
turned  with  a  key.  "  Come  on,"  said  he ;  "  there's  an 
empty  hall  upstairs  that  ought  to  do  us.  It's  as  big 
as  a  rink." 

London  Bill  led  the  way  up  the  foul,  creaking  stairs, 
and  opened  a  door  on  the  top  floor.  It  was  a  room  the 
bigness  of  the  building,  and  had  been  used  for  dancing. 
Drawing  a  couple  of  wooden  chairs  to  a  front  window, 
Storri's  guide  motioned  him  to  a  seat. 

"  Here  we  be,"  he  said ;  "  now  what's  it  all  about?  " 

Storri,  nothing  backward  when  assured  that  no  one 
was  playing  eavesdropper,  began  to  talk,  carefully 
avoiding  his  usual  jerky  Russian  mannerisms.  You 
have  been  told  of  Storri's  graphic  clearness  of  state 
ment,  once  he  had  fully  perfected  the  outlines  of  some 
enterprise.  In  fifteen  minutes,  but  only  in  vaguest  way, 
he  laid  his  proposal  before  London  Bill ;  the  proposal 


422  THE  PRESIDENT 

was  so  framed  that  the  'peter-man  understood  no  more 
than  that  a  bank  of  unusual  richness  was  to  be  broken 
into,  and  his  aid  was  sought. 

"  Your  share  alone,"  whispered  Storri,  "  will  foot  up 
for  a  million." 

London  Bill's  little  black  eyes  twinkled  like  those  of  a 
rat.  He  didn't  make  reply  at  once,  but  looked  out  of 
the  grimy,  cobwebby  pane  at  the  sky.  The  face  of  Lon 
don  Bill  was  rough,  but  not  unpleasant,  and,  though 
he  had  killed  his  man  and  was  a  desperate  individual  if 
cornered,  the  only  trait  expressed  was  a  patient  capacity 
for  enterprises  that  might  require  days  or  even  weeks 
in  their  carrying  out. 

"  Don't  you  think  now  you're  a  bit  of  a  come-on?  " 
observed  London  Bill,  swinging  around  to  Storri  from 
his  survey  of  the  distant  heavens. 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  Storri,  as  cool  as  the  other. 

"  This  is  why,"  returned  London  Bill.  "  Here  you 
butt  in,  a  dead  stranger,  and  make  a  proposition.  Sup 
pose  I  was  to  rap?  " 

"  I'd  declare  that  you  lied,"  replied  Storri  cheerfully, 
"  and  no  one  with  sense  would  believe  you.  They  would 
say  that  if  I  intended  to  ask  your  help  in  such  work  as 
I  have  described,  I  wouldn't  seek  an  introduction 
through  a  detective  agency." 

"  Something  in  that,"  said  London  Bill,  a  gleam  of 
admiration  in  his  beady  gimlet  eye.  "  Well,  I  never 


.-  v_ 


"  IT  'LL  TAKE  Two  MONTHS  TO  DIG  THAT  TUNNEL 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL      423 

squeal,  an'  only  put  the  question  to  try  you  out.  Go  on, 
an'  tell  me  what  it  is  an'  where  it  is ;  whether  I  go  into 
the  job  or  not,  at  least  you've  nothin'  to  be  leary  of 
in  me." 

Storri,  who  had  been  studying  London  Bill  as  hard  as 
ever  that  cracksman  was  studying  him,  re-began  in  ear 
nest.  He  now  laid  bare  the  proposal  in  its  every  corner, 
and  showed  London  Bill  the  plans  and  maps,  including 
the  valuable  cross-section  drawing  that  displayed  the 
relation  of  the  Treasury  Building  to  street  levels. 
London  Bill,  who  appeared  to  have  gifts  as  an  engineer, 
bent  over  the  maps  and  drawings,  considering  and  meas 
uring  distances. 

"  What  sort  of  ground  is  this  ?  "  said  London  Bill, 
laying  a  finger  on  the  cross-section  drawing,  where  it 
was  painted  dove-color  as  showing  the  earth  beneath 
the  street;  "  is  it  clay  or  sand?  " 

"  Gray  clay,"  returned  Storri,  "  and  fairly  hard  and 
dry." 

"  Good,"  remarked  London  Bill ;  "  no  fear  of  caving." 
Recurring  to  the  drawings,  London  Bill  proceeded: 
"  It  '11  take  two  months  to  dig  that  tunnel.  I'll  have  to 
dip  as  I  go  in,  in  order  to  creep  beneath  the  f  ootstones  of 
the  sidewall;  then  I'll  bring  the  tunnel  up  on  a  long 
slant.  The  tunnel  should  be  four  feet  high  and  about 
three  wide ;  the  earth  I'd  throw  into  the  sewer,  the  water 
would  wash  it  away.  There's  no  risk  in  diggimg  the 


THE  PRESIDENT 

tunnel,  as  no  one  would  get  an  inkling  of  what's  afoot 
until  the  last  shove,  when  we  made  direct  for  the  money. 
On  that  point  let  me  ask :  How  long  can  we  count  on 
being  undisturbed  after  we've  got  to  the  gold?  Now 
if  it  was  a  bank,  we'd  time  the  play  for  Saturday  after 
noon  after  closing  hours ;  that  would  give  us  until  Mon 
day  morning  at  nine  before  they'd  tumble." 

"  We  can  do  better  than  that,"  returned  Storri. 
"  Saturday,  May  twenty-eighth,  is  the  anniversary  of 
the  death  of  a  former  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  a 
special  holiday  has  been  already  declared  for  that  day. 
Monday,  May  thirtieth,  is  Decoration  Day,  a  general 
holiday.  We  should  have,  you  see,  from  Friday  at 
four  o'clock  until  Tuesday  at  ten ;  time  enough  to  carry 
out  several  fortunes  in  twenty-pound  packages  worth 
five  thousand  dollars  each." 

"  How  do  you  expect  to  get  away  with  the  swag?  " 
asked  London  Bill. 

"  Steam  yacht,"  replied  Storri  sententiously.  "  I 
shall  carry  it  from  the  mouth  of  the  drain  to  the  yacht 
with  a  launch.  It's  as  silent  as  a  bird  flying,  is  that 
launch.  Oh,  I've  thought  everything  out  in  full ;  I  can 
get  the  yacht  and  the  launch.  The  latter  will  freight  an 
even  ton  every  trip.  Do  you  know  how  much  gold 
money  it  takes  to  make  a  ton?  " 

"Half  a  million  dollars,"  said  London  Bill,  with 
his  professional  grin.  "  You  see,  partner,  I've  had 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL      425 

to  do  a  deal  of  studyin'  along  the  same  line  as  your 
self." 

"  Precisely,"  returned  Storri,  disregarding  the  com 
pliment  implied  by  the  epithet  partner ;  "  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  We  shall  have  seven  hours  a  night 
for  three  nights,  in  which  to  freight  the  gold  from  the 
mouth  of  the  drain  to  the  yacht." 

"  Four  nights,"  said  London  Bill  correctively ; 
"  Friday,  Saturday,  Sunday,  and  Monday  nights.  I 
can  carry  that  tunnel  to  a  place  within  two  hours  of  the 
stuff,  with  the  Treasury  full  of  people;  no  one  would 
catch  on.  Take  my  word  for  it,  you  can  begin  getting 
out  the  gold  the  moment  it  turns  dark  on  Friday  night. 
Let's  pray  for  a  storm  for  those  four  nights." 

"  Your  argument  is  right,"  observed  Storri,  "  but 
there's  a  point  you  overlook.  We  shall  have  but  three 
nights ;  Monday  and  Monday  night  will  be  required  to 
take  the  yacht  down  the  river,  and  into  the  open  ocean. 
The  instant  the  loss  is  discovered,  they'll  know  the  busi 
ness  was  managed  with  the  yacht ;  they  will  recall  her  as 
having  been  in  the  river  the  three  or  four  days  before. 
I  mean  to  repaint  her  from  black  to  white,  the  moment 
we're  out  of  sight  from  the  shore.  I  shall  change  her 
name,  and  have  papers  ready  to  match  the  change.  Oh, 
my  friend,  you  will  see  that  I  "  —here  Storri,  who  had 
studiously  refrained  from  his  usual  bragging,  exultant, 
staccato  style  of  speech,  and  aped  the  plain  and  com- 


426  THE  PRESIDENT 

monplace>  almost  forget  himself ;  he  was  on  the  brink  of 
giving  his  name,  which  thus  far  had  been  withheld.  He 
checked  himself  in  time,  and  ended  soberly  by  saying: 
"  You  will  see  that  I  have  left  nothing  unconsidered." 

"  Seven  hours  a  night,"  ruminated  London  Bill,  "  and 
three  nights:  In  considering  everything,  as  you  say, 
have  you  figured  on  how  many  trips  your  launch,  bear 
ing  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  trip,  can  make  be 
tween  shore  an'  ship?  " 

"  The  launch  can  make  as  many  as  twenty-one  trips 
a  night.  In  three  nights  she  ought  to  put  more  than 
thirty  millions  of  dollars  aboard  the  yacht.  That 
region  around  the  drain's  mouth  is  wholly  deserted. 
By  working  without  lights  there  isn't  a  chance  of  being 
detected." 

"  Thirty  millions !  "  repeated  London  Bill,  grinning 
cynically,  "  and  all  in  five-thousand-dollar  sacks !  Did 
it  ever  occur  to  you  that  it  will  take  some  time  to  carry 
the  gold  down  to  the  drain's  mouth  ?  It's  close  by  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile,  that  trip  is." 

"  My  friend,"  retorted  Storri,  with  just  a  tinge  of 
patronage,  "  leave  that  to  me.  I'll  find  a  way  to  send 
the  gold  to  the  drain's  mouth  without  breeding  any 
backaches.  All  you  are  to  do  is  dig  the  tunnel,  and 
dig  it  so  we  can  reach  the  gold." 

"  That's  simple,"  observed  London  Bill.  "  I  shall  dig 
so  as  to  undermine  an  end  of  one  of  those  steel  slabs  that 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL      427 

make  the  vault's  floor,  running  my  tunnel  for  the  rear 
end  of  the  vault.  The  weight  of  the  gold  will  force  down 
the  slab  when  undermined.  I'll  open  that  vault  like 
lifting  the  cover  of  a  chest,  only  the  cover  will  drop 
from  the  bottom  instead  of  lifting  from  the  top.  The 
minute  that  slab  of  steel  drops  six  inches,  the  sacks  of 
gold  will  begin  sliding  into  our  tunnel  of  their  own 
accord.  You  needn't  worry  about  my  part  of  the  job; 
I  can  take  thirty  millions  out  of  the  vault  if  you  can 
get  them  to  the  mouth  of  the  drain." 

"  I  can  get  them  to  the  mouth  of  the  drain,"  re 
sponded  Storri  confidently,  "  and  another  thirty  with 
them.  The  real  limit  to  our  operations  is  the  yacht  it 
self.  The  one  I  have  in  mind  will  only  carry  one  hun 
dred  tons,  and  thirty  millions  in  gold  makes  sixty  tons, 
to  say  nothing  of  ship's  stores  and  coal." 

"  What  place  will  you  head  the  boat  for  when  the 
job's  done?  " 

"  That,"  said  Storri,  "  I  shall  leave  to  be  settled  in 
the  open  Atlantic.  The  question  now  is :  Are  you  going 
with  me?  I've  told  you  that  your  share  is  to  be  a  mil 
lion." 

"  One  thirtieth?  "  said  London  Bill,  with  the  ring  of 
complaint  in  his  voice. 

"  One  thirtieth,"  returned  Storri  with  emphasis. 
"  Where  else  can  you  get  one  million  for  ten  weeks' 
digging  and  a  six-months'  cruise  in  a  yacht?  Besides, 


THE  PRESIDENT 

there  will  be  a  dozen  others  to  share ;  to  say  nothing 
of  the  yacht,  and  what  it  costs  to  coal  her  and  buy 
her  stores.  Come  now ;  do  you  go  with  me?  " 

London  Bill  put  out  a  small,  hairy  hand,  and  gave 
Storri  a  squeeze  of  acquiescence  that  was  almost  a  mate 
for  the  grip  bestowed  upon  our  nobleman  by  Richard 
that  snow-freighted  day  in  November. 

"  I'm  with  you,  live  or  die,"  said  London  Bill ;  "  an' 
I  never  weaken,  an'  never  split  on  a  pal." 

Storri  and  London  Bill  put  in  an  hour  discussing 
plans.  There  were  to  be  no  more  men  brought  into  the 
affair  until  late  in  May.  London  Bill  would  come  to 
Washington  and  commence  his  tunnel  work  at  once.  It 
would  be  a  slow  employment  and  require  care ;  it  was 
best  to  have  plenty  of  time. 

"  Because,"  explained  London  Bill,  "  if  these  maps 
an'  drawings  ain't  accurate  to  the  splinter  of  an  inch, 
it  may  throw  me  abroad  in  my  digging.  In  that  case 
I'd  need  an  extra  week  or  so  to  find  myself." 

Storri  coincided  with  the  view,  but  added  that  the 
yacht  would  have  to  be  manned  as  early  as  the  middle  of 
May. 

"  The  men  needn't  know  the  purpose,"  said  Storri, 
"  till  the  last  moment.  When  it  comes  to  selecting 
them,  I  shall  ask  your  advice." 

"  I  can  give  you  that  to-day,"  said  London  Bill, 
"  better  than  in  May.  I'll  be  busy  in  my  tunnel  in 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       429 

May,  and  won't  have  time  to  come  out.  Here's  what 
I'll  do :  I'll  call  up  Dan  right  now.  Dan's  an  old  sailor, 
as  well  as  a  first-class  gun  and  hold-up  man — the  gang 
calls  him  Steamboat  Dan.  I'll  call  Dan,  an'  put  him 
into  the  play.  Then  when  the  time  comes,  Dan  will  get 
you  the  men,  an'  of  the  right  proper  sort.  There  won't 
be  one  of  'em  who  hasn't  done  a  stretch." 

"  But,"  remonstrated  Storri  uneasily,  "  are  you  sure 
of  this  Steamboat  Dan?  " 

"  I  wouldn't  be  lushin'  gin  in  his  crib  else,"  responded 
London  Bill.  "  No,  Dan's  as  sure  as  death.  Besides, 
I'm  not  goin'  to  put  him  wise ;  I  shall  only  tell  him  to  do 
whatever  you  ask,  whenever  you  show  up." 

London  Bill  called  Dan,  and  the  trio  broadened  their 
confidence  in  each  other  with  further  gin  and  beer.  Dan 
gave  his  word  for  whatever  was  required;  Storri  had 
but  to  appear  and  issue  his  orders. 

"  You'll  be  in  at  the  finish,  Dan,"  said  London  Bill ; 
"  an'  for  the  others,  pick  out  a  dozen  of  the  flossiest 
coves  you  can  find.  You'll  be  bringin'  them  to  where 
I'm  workin',  d'ye  see;  an'  the  job  will  be  ripe." 

"  Will  it  be  much  of  a  play  ?  "  asked  Dan. 

"  Biggest  ever,"  said  London  Bill ;  "  an'  3^et,  no 
harder  than  prickin'  a  blister." 

Storri  jumped  into  the  cab,  which  had  waited  for  him  at 
the  door,  and  rattled  swiftly  away.  Within  five  minutes 
thereafter,  a  ragged  gamin  strutted  into  the  Albion  bar. 


430  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Be  you  Steamboat  Dan?  "  chirped  the  gamin,  fixing 
the  eye  of  a  sparrow  upon  that  tapster. 

"  Well,  s'ppose  I  be?  "  said  Dan,  not  too  well  pleased 
with  the  sparrow-eyed. 

"  Then  this  is  for  you,"  quoth  the  gamin,  thrusting 
a  note  across  the  bar. 

Dan  glanced  at  the  note;  next  he  smote  the  bar,  ac 
companying  the  smiting  with  soft  curses. 

"  What's  the  row?  "  asked  one  of  the  loungers. 

"  Nothin',"  said  Dan,  his  face  clearing  into  a  look  of 
easy  craft.  "  Here's  a  pal  of  mine  gets  himself  run 
over  an'  fractured  by  the  cable  cars,  an'  is  took  to  the 
hospital.  You  hold  down  the  bar,  Jimmy,  while  I  go 
look  him  over." 

The  person  addressed  as  Jimmy  had  no  objection  to 
an  arrangement  that  meant  free  drinks,  and  once  he  was 
installed  Dan  put  on  his  hat  and  moved  rapidly  up  the 
street.  A  turn  or  two  and  a  brisk  walk  of  ten  minutes 
found  him  in  Mulberry  Bend.  Dan  walked  more  slowly, 
and  was  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  Inspector  Val  saunter 
ing  along  half  a  block  ahead.  The  great  thief-taker 
rounded  a  corner,  and  albeit  Dan  made  no  effort  to  over 
take  him,  he  was  scrupulous  to  make  the  same  turn.  As 
he  came  into  the  cross-street  he  glanced  about  for  In 
spector  Val;  that  personage  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
Dan  kept  on  his  way,  and  before  he  had  journeyed  an 
other  block  Inspector  Val  caught  up  with  him  from  the 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       431 

rear,  and  passed  him.  Two  doors  further  and  Inspector 
Val  entered  an  Italian  restaurant;  Dan,  after  going 
fifty  yards  beyond  and  returning,  stepped  into  the  same 
place.  As  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  restaurant's  door,  he 
shot  a  swift  look  up  and  down  the  street.  There  was  no 
one  in  view  whom  he  knew,  and  Dan  brought  a  breath  of 
relief. 

"  This  bein'  a  stool  ain't  no  hit  with  me,"  sighed 
Dan,  "  but  will  any  sport  show  me  how  to  sidestep 
it?" 

As  no  sport  was  there  to  hear  the  plaint  of  Dan,  the 
latter  must  have  despaired  of  a  reply  before  he  put  the 
question.  Once  more  he  cheerfully  greeted  Inspector 
Val,  and  the  two  withdrew  to  a  private  room. 

"  Dan,"  said  Inspector  Val,  when  they  were  seated  at 
a  table  with  a  flask  of  chianti  between  them,  "  I  needn't 
tell  you  that  you're  still  wanted  for  that  trick  you 
turned  in  Chicago,  or  remind  you  of  the  many  little 
things  I've  overlooked  in  your  case  in  New  York." 

"  No,  Inspector,"  replied  Dan,  sorrowfully  tasting 
his  chianti,  "  I'm  dead  onto  'em  all.  What  is  it  ?  Give 
it  a  name." 

"  Do  you  know  what  that  black-bearded  man  wanted 
in  your  place?  " 

"  No,"  said  Dan,  "  I  don't." 

"  He  came  to  meet  London  Bill,  and  you  floor-man 
aged  the  play." 


432  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  But  I  don't  know  what  he  wanted  of  Bill,"  said 
Dan,  a  bit  staggered. 

"  Well,  I  know  what  he  wanted  of  Bill.  And  I  know 
what  he  will  want  of  you.  I'll  tell  you  what  you  arc 
to  do ;  and  if  you  cross  me,  or  fall  down,  it  will  mean 
several  spaces  in  Joliet,  so  have  a  care.  I'll  put  you 
easy  on  one  point.  Neither  you,  nor  London  Bill,  nor  any 
of  the  pals  you'll  put  into  this  game  about  the  middle  of 
May,  will  get  the  collar.  You  have  my  word  for  that." 

"  Your  word  goes  with  me,  Inspector,"  interjected 
Dan,  plainly  relieved,  and  bending  to  his  chianti  as 
though  after  all  it  might  not  be  red  poison. 

"  Good ;  my  word  goes  with  you — which  is  fortunate 
for  you.  These  are  your  orders:  You're  to  say  never 
a  word ;  and  you're  to  proceed  with  this  as  though  noth 
ing  queer  was  in  the  wind.  As  fast  as  you  know  any 
thing,  you  will  find  that  I'll  call  for  it.  Do  whatever 
this  black-bearded  party  asks ;  go  with  him  as  far  as  he 
wants  to  go,  and  go  with  your  eyes  shut.  I'll  step  in 
and  get  him  when  the  time  comes ;  he's  the  one  I'm 
after.  Now  you  understand:  say  nothing,  do  what 
ever  the  black-beard  desires ;  and  when  I  want  to  see  you 
I'll  send.  And  be  careful  about  London  Bill ;  he's  foxy. 
That  was  why  I  let  you  go  b}^  me  a  moment  ago;  I 
didn't  know  but  Bill  was  fly  enough  to  tail  you 
here.  He'll  be  gone,  however,  in  a  day,  or  at  -the  most 
two,  and  then  you'll  have  no  more  risk  with  Bill." 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       433 

"  How  did  you  know  Bill  was  goin'  to-morrow?  It 
wasn't  settled  thirty  minutes  ago." 

"  I  know  it  just  as  I  know  that  you,  about  May  fif 
teenth,  will  pick  up  a  dozen  or  more  pals  who  are  whole 
crooks  and  half  sailors ;  that  you  will  then  leave  on  a 
boat,  probably  a  steam  yacht,  May  twenty-sixth,  bound 
for  Washington;  and  that  the  job  of  bin-cracking  you 
will  engage  in  is  to  be  pulled  off  May  twenty-seventh  to 
twenty-ninth  inclusive." 

"  You  kn'ow  more  'n  me,  Inspector,"  observed  Dan, 
with  wonder  undisguised. 

"  If  I  didn't  I  wouldn't  be  telling  you  what  to 
do.  That's  all,  Dan ;  have  you  got  your  orders 
straight?" 

"  Straight  as  a  gun,"  declared  Dan,  wiping  the  last 
drops  of  the  chianti  from  his  mouth. 

"  Screw  out  then,"  commanded  Inspector  Val,  "  and 
come  only  when  I  send  for  you." 

Two  days  later,  a  laborer,  clean-shaven  and  of  rather 
superior  exterior,  fastened  a  tape  measure  to  the  iron 
cover  of  a  manhole  that  opened  into  the  drain  that  ran 
by  the  side  of  the  Treasury  Building.  Tape  fastened, 
the  laborer  unwound  its  length  along  the  asphalt  for 
perhaps  one  hundred  feet.  Then  he  began  to  re-wind 
the  tape  into  its  circular  box.  As  he  followed  the  incom 
ing  tape  towards  the  end  that  was  fastened  to  the  man 
hole  cover,  winding  as  he  went,  he  paused  for  the  ghost 


434  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  a  second  squarely  opposite  the  little  basement  door 
way  in  the  Treasury  Building,  where  the  old  watchman 
stood  smoking  his  pipe  on  the  evening  that  Storri  was 
told  of  the  gold  inside.  The  old  watchman,  being  on  day 
duty  now,  was  standing  in  that  same  door-way,  smoking 
the  self-same  pipe,  and  had  his  ignorant  eye  listlessly 
fixed  upon  the  laborer,  busy  with  his  measurements.  As 
the  laborer  paused  abreast  of  the  door,  he  glanced  down 
at  the  tape. 

"  The  even  seventy  feet  from  the  center  of  that  man 
hole,"  he  murmured,  as  though  he  thus  registered  the 
figures  in  his  mind. 

And  the  old  watchman,  and  the  pedestrians  hurrying 
along  the  pavement,  thought  the  laborer  busy  with  his 
measurements  from  the  manhole  to  the  little  Treasury 
door  had  been  at  work  for  the  public. 

That  night,  had  it  not  been  for  the  moonless  dark  of 
it,  you  might  have  seen  the  same  laborer  who  had 
been  so  concerned  with  tape-measures  and  distances  near 
the  Treasury  Building,  a  long  shallow  basket  stoutly 
woven  of  willow  on  his  arm,  making  secretly  for  the 
mouth  of  the  drain  that  once  witnessed  the  investiga 
tions  of  Storri.  The  basket  concealed  a  short  pickax 
of  the  sort  that  miners  use,  a  little  spade  such  as  chil 
dren  play  with  on  the  seashore,  but  very  strong,  and  a 
pinch-bar,  or  "jimmy,"  about  two  feet  long.  Besides 
these  suspicious  implements,  there  were  food,  a  flask  of 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       435 

whisky,  another  of  coffee,  and  a  bicycle  lamp,  to  make 
up  the  basket's  furniture. 

The  laborer  entered  the  drain's  mouth,  and  when  be 
yond  chance  of  observation  from  without,  he  paused  as 
aforetime  had  Storri  to  light  his  lamp.  As  the  match 
illuminated  his  face,  you  would  have  identified  the  fea 
tures  of  London  Bill,  celebrated  safe-blower,  box-worker, 
and  'peter-man,  presently  about  to  begin  his  first  night's 
work  on  that  thirty-million-dollar  job  over  which  he  and 
Storri  had  shaken  hands.  Having  lighted  his  lamp, 
London  Bill  journeyed  on  his  way  until  the  same  bend 
in  the  great  drain  that  had  hidden  Storri  shut  him  out 
from  view. 

London  Bill  splashingly  proceeded  to  the  second  turn 
in  the  drain;  from  that  point  he  counted  the  manholes 
until  he  stood  beneath  the  one  from  which  you  saw  him 
measuring  with  the. tape.  As  nearly  as  he  might,  Lon 
don  Bill,  going  northward  in  the  drain,  slowly  paced 
off  seventy  feet  from  the  manhole;  then  he  halted  and 
drove  two  large  spikes  between  the  bricks  that  formed 
the  walls,  using  the  pinch-bar  to  do  the  driving.  On 
these  nails  he  hung  his  basket  and  fixed  his  lamp,  the 
latter  so  as  to  light  the  opposite  wall.  Being  disencum 
bered  of  the  basket,  London  Bill  took  the  tape  and  again 
made  his  measurements,  this  time  more  accurately  than 
might  be  done  by  pacing. 

London  Bill  got  to  work,  breast-high  and  where  the 


436  THE  PRESIDENT 

lamplight  fell,  on  the  wall  of  the  drain  nearest  the  Treas 
ury,  and  with  the  point  of  the  pinch-bar  began  taking 
out  the  bricks.  Our  cracksman  worked  slowly  and 
surely,  laying  the  bricks  in  the  bottom  of  the  drain  so 
as  to  form  a  floor  on  which  to  stand.  In  this  way  he 
soon  found  himself  above  the  water,  which  thereafter 
muttered  about  the  bricks  instead  of  his  boots,  as  was  the 
former  uncomfortable  condition. 

After  three  hours  of  toil,  the  last  brick  was  removed ; 
a  circular  hole  four  feet  in  diameter  showed  in  the  wall 
of  the  drain.  Beyond  was  the  earth — gray  clay,  as 
Storri  had  said.  Seizing  the  little  spade,  London  Bill 
threw  a  handful  into  the  water;  it  was  instantly  dis 
solved  and  washed  away. 

"  There's  current  enough,"  said  London  Bill,  in  a  sat 
isfied  whisper,  "  to  clear  away  the  dirt  as  fast  as  I  dig  it, 
which  is  a  chunk  of  luck  my  way." 

London  Bill,  being  fairly  launched  upon  his  great 
work,  crept  into  the  drain  every  night  and  crept  forth 
every  morning,  and  the  hours  of  his  creeping  were  re 
spectively  eleven  and  four.  Through  the  day  he  lay 
in  convenient,  non-inquisitive  lodgings,  which  he  cared 
for  himself.  London  Bill  did  not  go  about  the  town, 
having  no  wish  for  company,  being  of  the  bloodhound 
inveterate  breed  that,  once  embarked  upon  an  enter 
prise,  does  nothing,  thinks  nothing,  save  said  enterprise 
until  it  is  accomplished.  It  was  this  dogged,  single- 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       437 

hearted  persistency,  coupled  with  his  cunning  and  his 
desperate  courage,  that  made  London  Bill  the  foremost 
figure  of  his  old  but  criminal  guild  of  'peter-men. 

There  was  a  rich  man's  son  who  infested  the  club; 
and,  being  a  snob  with  a  liking  for  noble  nearnesses, 
Croesus  Jr.  had  wormed  himself  into  Storri's  regards  as 
far  as  Storriwould  permit.  Croesus  Jr., fond  of  display, 
bought  a  little  steam  yacht — one  hundred  tons.  After 
two  costly  months  of  yachting,  Croesus  Jr.,  waxing 
thrifty  and  bewailing  expense,  laid  up  the  yacht  in  a 
shipyard  on  the  Harlem  River.  The  yacht's  name  was 
Zulu  Queen.  The  Zulu  Queen  measured  one  hundred  and 
ten  feet  over  all,  and  since  she  was  of  unusual  beam,  her 
draught  was  light.  In  a  beam  sea  the  Zulu  Queen  would 
all  but  roll  her  stacks  overboard ;  in  a  head  sea  she 
pounded  until  one  feared  for  her  safety ;  in  smooth 
water,  full  steam  ahead,  she  could  snap  off  seventeen 
knots.  She  had  a  twenty-foot  launch,  equal  to  fourteen 
knots,  that  made  no  more  noise  than  a  sewing  machine. 
Altogether  there  were  worse  as  well  as  better  boats  upon 
the  sea  than  was  the  Zulu  Queen. 

Croesus  Jr.,  disliking  expense  as  noted,  did  not  care 
to  keep  the  Zulu  Queen  in  commission.  And  yet  the  rust 
of  retirement  was  eating  into  her  value!  A  yacht,  a 
horse,  and  a  woman,  to  keep  at  their  best,  should  be  con 
stantly  in  commission.  Croesus  Jr.  offered  the  Zulu 
Queen  to  Storri  for  the  spring  and  summer,  Storri  to 


438  THE  PRESIDENT 

foot  the  bills.  This  was  a  sagacious  move  on  the  part 
of  Croesus  Jr.  and  meant  to  kill  a  brace  of  birds  with 
one  stone.  He  would  keep  the  Zulu  Queen  steamed  up 
at  another's  cost,  thereby  avoiding  the  wharf  rent  as 
well  as  the  rust  of  her  banishment ;  also  he  would  please 
a  nobleman.  Storri  accepted  the  disinterested  offer  of 
the  Zulu  Queen  from  Croesus  Jr. ;  that  was  just  before 
he  met  London  Bill. 

After  meeting  that  eminent  bandit,  Storri  drove 
to  Harlem,  and  gave  orders  for  overhauling  the  Zulu 
Queen,  as  well  as  for  storing  and  coaling  her  to  the 
limit  of  her  lockers  and  bunkers.  She  was  to  be  made 
ready  for  the  crew  and  cruise  by  May  first.  Storri  was 
armed  with  the  written  order  of  Croesus  Jr.,  and  the 
shipyard  people  offered  no  demur;  since  they  charged 
all  bills  in  true  maritime  fashion  to  the  Zulu  Queen,  and 
neither  to  Storri  nor  yet  Croesus  Jr.,  the  latter  provident 
young  person  must  finally  face  the  expense — a  financial 
disaster  which  Croesus  Jr.  never  foresaw,  albeit  Storri 
was  not  so  blind.  As  London  Bill  plies  dark 
some  spade  and  pick  and  pinch-bar,  the  Harlem  ship- 
men  are  furnishing  and  coaling  and  storing  the  Zulu 
Queen. 

Storri  said  nothing  of  London  Bill  and  the  Zulu  Queen 
to  the  San  Reve.  He  had  wellnigh  given  up  the  club, 
being  willing  to  postpone  all  chance  of  meeting  either 
Mr.  Harley  or  Richard,  and  was,  therefore,  a  more  fre- 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       439 

quent  visitor  to  Grant  Place — a  social  situation  that 
pleased  the  San  Reve  vastly. 

The  San  Reve  used  to  dog  Storri  when  he  left  her; 
and,  inasmuch  as  she  never  once  traced  him  to  the  Harley 
house  or  its  vicinity,  her  jealousy  began  to  sleep.  But 
the  San  Reve,  while  she  haunted  the  steps  of  Storri, 
could  not  always  follow  his  thoughts,  and  they  went 
often  to  the  Harleys.  Storri  had  the  Harleys  ever  on  his 
mind;  each  day  served  to  intensify  his  hatred  for  Mr. 
Harley,  and  to  render  more  sultry  that  passion  for 
Dorothy  which  was  both  love  and  hate.  Little  by  little 
his  lawless  imagination  suggested  methods  by  which  he 
might  have  revenge  on  Mr.  Harley  and  gain  possession 
of  Dorothy ;  and  the  methods  so  suggested,  like  the  in 
genious  cogs  of  a  wheel,  mashed  into  that  other  enter 
prise  of  gold  which  had  enlisted  the  Zulu  Queen  and 
London  Bill.  The  thought  of  revenge  on  Mr.  Harley, 
and  a  physical  conquest  of  Dorothy  the  beautiful,  grew 
and  broadened  and  extended  itself  like  some  plant  of 
evil  in  Storri's  heart.  It  worked  itself  out  into  leaf  and 
twig  and  bud  of  sinful  detail  until  the  execution  thereof 
seemed  the  thing  feasible ;  with  that  the  face  of  Storri 
began  to  wear  a  look  of  criminal  triumph  in  anticipa 
tion. 

The  San  Reve  observed  this  latter  phenomenon  and 
read  it  for  a  good  sign-,  holding  it  to  be  evidence  of  the 
contentment  born  of  their  happier  relations,  and  also 


440  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  clearing  skies  of  stocks.  It  spoke  of  fair  weather 
in  both  love  and  business,  and  the  San  Rcvc  was  at  con 
siderable  care  not  to  disturb  Storri  with  either  query  or 
comment. 

To  show  how  wrong  was  the  San  Rcve,  glance  at  this 
fragment  of  the  thought  of  Storri. 

"  What  should  be  better,"  mused  Storri,  with  that 
leer  which  Satan  gave  him,  "  than  to  carry  away  the 
gold  of  these  pig  Americans,  and  the  daughter  of  one  of 
them,  on  the  same  night?  We  should  be  off  the  coast 
of  Africa  in  a  fortnight,  and  were  I  to  tire  of  her  I 
could  sell  her  to  the  Moors.  Who  would  hear  of  her 
after  that?" 

Thus  did  Storri  rear  his  sinful  castles  in  the  air;  and 
as  he  brooded  his  black  designs,  smoking  his  cigars  and 
tossing  off*  his  brandy  in  silence,  the  San  Revc  sat  drink 
ing  him  in  with  adoring  gray-green  eyes,  pleasing  her 
self  by  conjecturing  his  meditations,  and  going  miles 
to  leeward  of  the  truth.  Had  the  San  Reve  but  guessed 
them,  there  might  have  descended  an  interruption,  and 
Storri's  purposes  suffered  a  postponement  at  once  grisly 
and  grim. 

Richard,  about  this  time,  troubled  the  club  with 
his  presence  no  oftencr  than  did  Storri — and  that 
was  natural  enough.  He  must  sec  so  much  of  Doro 
thy  at  either  her  own  house  or  Bess  Marklin's,  he 
was  left  scanty  time  for  clubs.  It  is  wonderful  how 


HOW  LONDON  BILL  TOOK  A  PAL       441 

love  will  engage  the  hours  and  occupy  the  faculties  of 
a  man. 

One  evening  as  Richard  was  coming  from  the  Harley 
house  he  met  Inspector  Yal.  Richard,  wrapped  in  visions 
whereof  the  constituent  elements  were  roses  and  music 
witK  starlight  over  all,  was  careless  of  routes,  and 
Inspector  Val  led  him  past  the  Treasury  Building, 
across  the  White  Lot  between  the  Monument  and  the 
White  House,  until  they  stood  at  the  drain's  mouth,  of 
which  you  have  heard  so  much.  The  stream  was  rush 
ing  forth  a  clayey  gray. 

"  Do  you  see  ?  "  asked  Inspector  Val,  pointing  to  the 
stream. 

"  See  what  ?  "  said  Richard,  waxing  impatient,  as  a 
man  will  when  roused  from  loving  dreams  to  consider  a 
question  of  sewage. 

"  The  color,"  replied  Inspector  Val.  "  That  shows 
our  man  to  be  industriously  at  his  task.  No,  no  ex 
planation  now ;  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  May  we'll  come 
again,  and  the  drain  itself  shall  furnish  a  solution  to 
the  puzzle." 


CHAPTER  XX 

HOW    STORRI    FOOLISHLY    WROTE    A    MESSAGE 

G3VERNOR  OBSTINATE  being  stubbornly 
and  openly  for  gold,  party  opinion,  dislik 
ing  concealment  and  skulking  mystery, 
began  to  burn  the  grass  of  imperious  inquiry  about  the 
feet  of  Senator  Hanway.  Men  could  understand  a 
gold-bug  or  a  silver-bug,  and  either  embrace  or  tolerate 
him  according  to  the  color  of  their  convictions.  But 
that  monstrous  insect  of  finance,  the  straddle-bug, 
pleased  no  one;  and  since  Senator  Hanway,  whose 
patriotism  was  self-interest  and  who  possessed  no  prin 
ciple  beyond  the  principle  of  personal  aggrandizement, 
was  on  every  issue  a  straddle-bug,  finance  first  of  all,  our 
sinuous  statesman  commenced  to  taste  troublous  days. 

Senator  Gruff  urged  him  to  declare  for  gold. 

"  You  will  have  two-thirds  of  the  better  element  with 
you,"  said  Senator  Gruff,  "  and  by  that  I  mean  the 
richer  element." 

Senator  Hanway  submitted  that  while  the  richer  or 
managing  element  was  for  gold,  the  masses  might  be  for 
silver.  If  he  were  nominated  following  a  gold  declara 
tion,  a  silver  public  might  defeat  him  at  the  polls. 

443 


STORRI   WRITES   A   MESSAGE         443 

"  But  the  public,"  explained  Sena.tor  Gruff,  disagree 
ing,  "  are  as  sheep ;  the  managers  of  party  are  the 
wolves.  The  howl  of  one  wolf  in  politics  is  of  graver 
moment  than  the  bleating  of  many  sheep." 

"  But  the  sheep  are  the  more  numerous,"  laughed 
Senator  Hanway,  who  was  amused  by  what  he  termed 
the  zoological  figures  of  Senator  Gruff. 

"  What  matters  that?  "  said  Senator  Gruff.  "  Wasn't 
it  Virgil  who  wrote  c  What  cares  the  wolf  how  many  the 
sheep  be  '  ?  The  wolves,  I  tell  you,  win." 

Senator  Hanway,  full  of  inborn  furtivities,  still  hung 
in  the  wind  of  doubt. 

"  Would  it  not  be  as  wise,"  he  argued,  "  to  claim  the 
public's  attention  with  some  new  unusual  proposition? 
Might  not  the  public,  being  wholly  engaged  thereby, 
forget  finance?  " 

Senator  Gruff  thought  this  among  things  possible; 
at  least  it  might  be  tried.  Something  surely  must  be 
done,  or  Senator  Hanway  would  be  compelled  to  dis 
close  his  attitude  on  Silver  versus  Gold. 

It  was  the  decision  of  Senators  Hanway  and  Gruff 
that  the  former  should  bring  up  for  Senate  discussion 
the  resolution  concerning  that  Georgian  Bay-Ontario 
Canal.  Credit  Magellan  was  dead  and  gone,  and  had 
been  since  the  "  bear  "  failure  against  Northern  Con 
solidated.  But  no  one  in  the  Senate,  no  one  indeed  not 
of  the  osprey  pool,  had  heard  of  Credit  Magellan. 


444  THE  PRESIDENT 

Therefore,  Senator  Hanway  could  handle  the  Canal 
resolution  as  a  thing  by  itself.  It  could  be  offered  as 
a  measure  important,  not  alone  nationally  but  inter 
nationally,  and  to  all  the  world.  Senator  Hanway 
would  force  no  vote;  but  he  would  be  heard,  and  his 
Senate  friends  and  allies  would  be  heard.  There  should 
arise  such  a  din  of  statesmanship  that  the  dullest  ear 
in  the  country  must  be  impressed  with  the  Canal  as  a 
subject  of  tremendous  consequence.  The  public  intelli 
gence  might  thus  be  made  to  center  upon  the  Canal. 
The  latter  would  subtract  from,  even  if  it  did  not 
wholly  swallow  up  in  the  common  regard,  that  danger 
ous  query  of  finance. 

"  You  may  be  right,"  observed  Senator  Gruff.  He 
said  this  dubiously,  for  he  wasn't  as  sure  as  was  Senator 
Hanway  of  cither  a  public  interest  or  its  direction  touch 
ing  the  Canal.  "  It  will  be  a  novelty ;  and  the  public 
is  as  readily  caught  by  novelty  as  any  rustic  at  a  fair. 
But  you  might  better  get  to  it  at  once.  I  had  word 
from  the  Anaconda  people  yesterday ;  they  urge  definite 
utterance  on  the  money  question.  They  say  that  either 
silver  or  gold  will  do  as  a  position ;  but  they  must  know 
which  it  is  to  be  in  order  to  select  timber  for  the  delega 
tions.  It  won't  do  to  name  silver  delegates  if  you  mean 
in  the  eleventh  hour  to  declare  for  gold." 

Senator  Hanway  brought  up  his  Georgian  Bay- 
Ontario  Canal  and  talked  a  profound  hour.  Other  Sen- 


STORRI    WRITES    A    MESSAGE          445 

ators  followed,  and  the  Canal  held  the  carpet  of  debate 
for  three  full  days.  Then  it  was  sent  back  to  the  For 
eign  Committee  without  a  vote. 

But  the  object  of  the  discussion  had  been  reached. 
Canal  took  the  place  of  Money  in  the  people's  mouth, 
and  Senator  Hanway,  his  name  gaining  favorable  place 
in  every  paper,  particularly  in  the  Dally  Tory,  became 
a  prodigious  personality  by  acclamation.  The  most  be 
sotted  of  Governor  Obstinate's  adherents  now  conceded 
the  superior  strength  of  Senator  Hanway,  and  two  or 
three  States  which  held  their  conventions  about  this  time 
instructed  their  delegates  to  vote  for  him  as  a  unit.  Mr. 
Harley  and  Senator  Gruff,  being  nearest  to  Senator 
Hanway,  were  jubilant;  they  complimented  and  extolled 
the  acumen  that  substituted  Canal  for  Finance  as  a 
popular  shout. 

"  You've  got  it,"  ejaculated  Senator  Gruff,  slapping 
Senator  Hanway  on  the  shoulder  with  a  freedom  cher 
ished  by  statesmen  among  themselves ;  "  the  ticket  is  as 
good  as  made,  with  Hanway  at  the  head.  Put  Frost  on 
for  Vice  President,  and  it  will  be  all  over  but  the  fire 
works." 

Senator  Hanway  was  of  one  mind  with  Senator  Gruff ; 
he  could  discover  no  gap  in  his  fences  through  which  de 
feat  might  crowd. 

"  It's  as  it  should  be,  John,"  observed  Senator  Han 
way,  when  one  evening  he  and  Mr.  Harley  were  alone 


446  THE  PRESIDENT 

in  his  study.  Richard  had  just  left,  bearing  an  elabo 
rate  interview  with  Senator  Hanway  in  which  the  Geor 
gian  Bay-Ontario  Canal  was  displayed  as  the  question 
paramount  and  precedental  to  all  others,  the  interview 
being  intended  for  the  next  issue  of  the  Daily  Tory. 
"  It  would  be  hard,  indeed,"  continued  Senator  Hanway, 
"  to  be  wiped  out  in  politics  just  as  we  were  wiped  out 
in  stocks.  I  can  look  on  present  pauperism  calmly 
enough,  if  it  is  to  be  followed  by  the  White  House  for 
four  years.  It  would  be  our  turn  then  to  issue  German 
defiances,  and  use  Monroe  to  milk  the  Market." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Mr.  Harley,  a  greedy  twinkle  in 
his  eye,  "  a  White  House  should  place  us  on  high 
ground." 

Mr.  Harley,  being  thus  reminded  of  the  osprey  pool, 
remarked  that  he  received  a  line  that  afternoon  saying 
the  mysterious  builder  of  the  corner  in  Northern  Con 
solidated  had  been  discovered  in  Robert  Lance  Bayard. 
The  old  gray  buccaneer  would  at  once  learn  the  terms 
upon  which  they  might  ransom  themselves. 

"  If  it  be  so  much  as  three  millions  for  our  share," 
said  Senator  Hanway,  "  it  will  cut  us  both  off  at  the 
roots.  Three  millions  would  take  the  last  bond  and  the 
last  share  of  stock  in  our  boxes." 

"  The  offer  will  be  made  for  a  million  a  man,"  said 
Mr.  Harley;  "but  should  Mr.  Bayard  refuse,  there's 
no  help.  He  holds  us  at  his  mercy." 


STORRI   WRITES   A   MESSAGE         447 

<e  Absolutely !  "  assented  Senator  Hanway,  with  a 
sigh.  Then  in  livelier  manner:  "Still,  as  I  observed, 
we  must  console  ourselves  with  a  Presidency.  That 
Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal  was  a  fortunate  thought. 
My  nomination  is  certain ;  and  the  success  of  the  ticket 
with  the  people  seems  quite  as  sure.  We  must  offset  a 
loss  in  stocks  by  this  mighty  profit  in  politics. 

"  Changing  the  subject,"  continued  Senator  Hanway, 
"  young  Storms  seems  to  be  the  accepted  lover  of 
Dorothy.  I'm  gratified  by  it ;  he-has  no  money,  but  Mr. 
Gwynn  will  act  the  generous  part.  What  surprises  me 
is  the  submission  of  Barbara ;  she  was  decidedly  tragic 
in  her  objections  one  evening." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Harley,  soberly  exultant,  his  con 
quest  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  in  the  matter  of  that 
matrimony  being  the  only  battle  he  had  ever  won  from 
his  domestic  Boadicea,  "yes,  Barbara  did  object;  put 
it  on  the  ground  that  Storms  was  a  beggar.  Thereupon 
I  expounded  her  own  bankruptcy  to  her,  showed  her  how 
it  was  the  pot  calling  the  kettle  black,  and  Barbara,  feel 
ing  that  she  hadn't  a  leg  to  stand  on,  surrendered." 

Mr.  Harley  said  nothing  of  that  Storri  secret  be 
tween  Dorothy  and  himself. 

"  When  will  you  appoint  the  wedding  ?  "  asked  Sen 
ator  Hanway. 

"  Dorothy  will  attend  to  that,  I  take  it.  Should  she 
come  for  my  advice,  I  shall  vote  for  expedition.  Mar- 


448  THE  PRESIDENT 

riage  is  so  much  like  shooting  a  rifle  that  one  ought  not 
to  hang  too  long  on  one's  aim." 

Richard  received  a  wire  from  Mr.  Bayard  calling  him 
to  New  York.  The  next  day  he  was  closeted  with  the 
ticker-King  at  Thirty,  Broad. 

"  We  have  never,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "'declared  our 
respective  shares  in  the  corner  in  Northern  Consoli 
dated." 

Richard  insisted  on  leaving  the  naming  of  interests  to 
Mr.  Bayard. 

"  I  should  say  even  interests  then — half  and  half," 
returned  Mr.  Bayard. 

Richard  acquiesced. 

"  Then,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  I  must  tell  you  that  I'm 
offered  seven  millions  for  the  seven  members  of  the  pool 
as  it  now  exists.  You  remember  your  friend  Storri 
perished  on  the  first  call  for  margins ;  we  have  already 
taken  a  half-million  from  him." 

"  You  won't  mind,"  said  Richard  diffidently,  "  if  I 
make  an  amended  proposition?  '' 

"  Let  me  hear  it,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard,  mildly  cu 
rious  ;  "  I'm  quite  sure  I  shall  prefer  your  proposal  to 
my  own." 

"  As  preliminary  then,"  said  Richard,  "  permit  me  to 
give  you  an  informal  invitation  to  my  wedding  with 
Miss  Harley ;  it  is  set  for  June  first." 

"  I  shall  be  present,"   said   Mr.    Bayard,   smilingly 


STORRI   WRITES    A   MESSAGE         449 

elevating  his  brows.  "  And  Miss  Harley :  who  is 
she?" 

"  She's  Mr.  Harley's  daughter,  and  Senator  Han- 
way's  niece.  Between  us,  I  hardly  feel  like  reducing  my 
sweetheart's  family  to  bankruptcy  on  the  eve  of  our 
nuptials." 

"  I've  known  it  done,  however,"  returned  Mr.  Bayard, 
beating  down  a  chuckle. 

"  I've  no  doubt,"  observed  Richard.  "  For  all  that 
I'd  like  to  miss  the  experience.  This  is  my  idea :  suppose 
we  divide  men  and  not  money.  Give  me  Senator  Han- 
way,  Mr.  Harley,  and  Storri,  and  you  take  the 
five." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  desire,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  for 
I  see  what  you  would  be  at.  This  was  not  a  speculation 
but  a  love  affair ;  Miss  Harley  is  your  profit." 

Richard  confessed  to  Mr.  Bayard's  reading  of  the 
riddle  ;  Dorothy  with  him  had  been  the  prize,  and  she  was 
won.  As  for  Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway,  Richard 
would  have  them  released  without  loss ;  they  were  to  be 
restored,  plack  and  bawbee,  to  what  had  been  theirs  on 
that  tumultuous  Wednesday  when  the  osprey  pool  made 
its  initial  swoop. 

"  Adjust  the  business  with  them  June  second,"  ex 
plained  Richard.  "My  wife  " —he  said  "my  wife" 
with  a  dignity  that  was  visible — "  and  I  will  be  then  on 
our  way  to  the  Mediterranean.  Present  yourself  as  the 


450  THE  PRESIDENT 

only  one  in  the  affair,  please ;  my  name  is  a  cat  that  I 
don't  want  let  out  of  the  bag." 

"  And  now,  my  romantic  young  friend,"  remarked 
Mr.  Bayard,  "  you  forget  Storri.  What  shall  I  do  with 
the  half-million  taken  from  him?  " 

"  Give  one-half  to  Inspector  Val ;  and  with  the  other 
purchase  an  annuity  for  a  gentleman  named  Sands.  I'll 
send  Mr.  Sands  to  you.  I  want  to  be  out  of  the  coun 
try,  however,  before  you  arrange  any  of  these  matters." 

"  That's  right,"  declared  Mr.  Bayard ;  "  I  know  of 
nothing  more  grinding  than  gratitude.  By  the  way, 
how  old  is  this  Mr.  Sands?  " 

"  About  thirty." 

"  He  should  have  at  least  fifteen  thousand  dollars  a 
year." 

"  He  has  so  keen  an  approval  of  whisky,"  explained 
Richard,  "  that  I  don't  care  to  give  him  the  money  out- 
right." 

Mr.  Bayard  stated  that  he  would  send  word  to  the 
old  gray  buccaneer,  fixing  June  second  for  the  settle 
ment  and  accepting  the  pool's  offer  of  seven  millions. 

"  And  when  the  day  arrives,"  observed  Mr.  Bayard, 
"  I'll  carry  out  your  financial  forgiveness  of  Senator 
Hanway  and  Mr.  Harley." 

"  Not  forgetting  to  hide  my  name?  " 

"  Not  forgetting  to  hide  your  name.  But  Inspector 
Val  and  Mr.  Sands  -will  have  to  know." 


STORRI   WRITES    A   MESSAGE         451 

"  It  will  make  the  less  difference ;  by  that  time  I'll  be 
three  hundred  miles  off-shore." 

"  And  having,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  so  pleasantly  ad 
justed  our  business,  suppose  we  smoke  in  confirmation 
of  the  adjustment.  Also,  if  you  will,  please  explain  the 
humbug  of  Mr.  Gywnn.  Why  are  you,  who  are  among 
the  world's  five  wealthiest  men,  so  anxious  to  pretend 
poverty  and  hide  your  money-light  beneath  a  bushel?  " 

"  Mr.  Gwynn  is  no  humbug,"  returned  Richard ; 
"  under  my  thumb,  he  acts  for  me  in  business.  I  am 
saved  a  deal  of  bother  at  slight  expense  and  slighter  risk. 
Now  and  then,  of  course,  I  find  him  absorbing  some  sly 
hundreds.  When  he  bought  the  Daily  Tory,  he  substi 
tuted  a  pretended  agent  between  himself  and  Talon  & 
Trehawke,  and  in  that  way  sequestered  over  eleven 
thousand  dollars  behind  the  mask  of  commissions.  But 
I  always  discover  and  rectify  these  discrepancies.  And 
I  forgive  them,  too;  for  Mr.  Gwynn  was  educated  to 
a  theory  of  perquisites,  and  such  little  lapses  as  those 
Daily  Tory  commissions  are  but  the  outcrop  of  old 
habits  too  deeply  rooted  to  be  eradicated." 

"  But  you  present  him  as  your  patron — as  the  head 
of  your  house." 

"  There  you're  in  the  wrong,"  laughed  Richard. 
"  When  I  returned  from  Europe  bringing  Mr.  Gwynn, 
society  seized  upon  him  for  its  own.  Society  went  wild 
over  Mr.  Gwynn ;  it  discovered  in  him  treasures  of  pa- 


452  THE  PRESIDENT 

tricianism  and  a  well-bred  elegance.  Since  society  in 
sisted  upon  the  enthronement  of  Mr.  Gwynn,  it  would 
have  been  impolite,  nay  narrow,  on  my  part  to  object. 
Besides,  I  recognized  in  it  the  essence  of  democracy  and 
as  an  American  rejoiced.  '  By  all  means,'  said  I,  '  soci 
ety  shall  have  its  excellent  way.  I  can  give  it  little,  but 
I  can  give  it  Mr.  Gwynn.'  ' 

Richard's  old  cynicism  was  for  the  moment  restored, 
and  the  laughing  philosopher — who  is  only  a  laughing 
hyena  in  trousers  and  cutaway—shone  out  in  all  a  former 
Abderitish  glory.  In  the  brittle  case  of  Mr.  Bayard 
the  laughing  cynic  did  not  laugh  alone ;  that  gray  eagle 
of  the  tape  saw  much  in  Mr.  Gwynn  and  his  polite  ad 
ventures  to  delight  him.  He  declared  the  situation  to  be 
a  most  justifiable  sarcasm  addressed,  not  against  an  in 
dividual,  but  an  age. 

"  It  was,"  said  Mr.  Bayard,  "  a  splendid  vengeance 
upon  the  snobs.  But  that  doesn't  explain,"  he  con 
tinued,  "  why  you  were  sedulous  to  hide  your  millions 
from  others — from  Miss  Harley,  for  a  sample." 

Richard  braced  himself  and  made  a  clean  breast.  He 
had  been  educated  by  musty  professors,  visionaries, 
rusty  creatures  of  theories  and  alcoves ;  he  had  come  to 
be  as  morbid  as  the  atmosphere  he  was  reared  in  on  that 
subject  of  his  gold.  It  would  corrupt  whomsoever  ap 
proached  him.  He,  Richard,  would  never  know  love  or 
friendship — nothing  better  than  a  world's  greed  would 


STORRI   WRITES    A    MESSAGE         453 

he  know.  Announce  his  millions,  and  he  would  have  no 
existence,  no  identity,  no  name ;  all  would  be  merged  in 
those  millions.  He  would  never  be  given  a  friendship; 
he  must  purchase  it.  He  would  never  be  given  a  woman's 
love  ;  he  must  buy  her  love ! 

"  Thus  was  I  demon-haunted  of  my  own  gold,"  said 
Richard.  "  It  seemed  to  stand  between  me  and  all  my 
heart  went  hungry  for.  That  was  my  feeling ;  I  was 
galled  of  money.  I  determined  to  hide  my  wealth ;  I 
would  discover  what  friendships  I  might  inspire,  what 
loves  I  could  attract,  with  only  the  meager  capital  of 
my  merit." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Bayard  dryly,  "  every  man  at  some 
period  must  play  the  fool.  All's  well  that  ends  well ;  I 
shall  follow  your  wishes  concerning  Messrs.  Harley, 
Hanway,  Val,  and  Sands,  attend  your  wedding,  extend 
congratulations,  and  salute  the  bride." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harlcy,  Mr.  Harlejr,  and  Senator  Han- 
way  were  duly  informed  of  those  orange  blossoms  medi 
tated  by  Dorothy  for  June.  Bess,  who  still  retained 
her  place  as  managing  angel,  pointed  out  the  propriety 
of  such  information.  Bess  said  that  Richard  ought  to 
break  the  news  to  the  Harleys  and  to  Senator  Hanway. 
But  Richard's  heart  was  weak ;  he  confessed  his  coward 
ice  squarely.  In  his  own  defense  he  pleaded  the  memory 
of  his  former  interview  with  Mrs.Hanway-Harley  ;  it  was 
yet  heavy  upon  him,  and  he  could  summon  no  courage 


454  THE  PRESIDENT 

for  another.  Then  Dorothy  became  the  heroine;  she 
would  inform  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  with  her  own  young 
lips.  This  she  did,  bearing  herself  the  while  with  much 
love  and  firmness,  since  Richard — quaking  inwardly,  but 
concealing  his  craven  condition  from  Dorothy — sup 
ported  her  throughout. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  surprised  everybody  with  the 
moderate  spirit  in  which  she  received  the  word.  True, 
her  manner  could  not  have  been  called  boisterously  joy 
ful,  and  indeed  she  made  no  pretense  of  the  kind.  She 
kissed  Dorothy ;  she  would  have  kissed  Richard  had 
not  that  gentleman  plainly  lacked  the  fortitude  re 
quired  for  so  embarrassing  a  ceremony.  Having  pressed 
her  maternal  lips  to  Dorothy's  forehead,  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  remarked  that  it  was  good  of  the  young  lovers 
to  bring  their  plans  to  her.  She  realized,  however,  that 
it  was  no  more  than  a  polite  formality,  for  the  affair 
long  before  had  been  taken  out  of  her  hands.  Her 
consent  to  their  wedding  would  sound  hollow,  even  lu 
dicrous,  under  the  circumstances ;  still,  such  as  it  was,  she 
freely  granted  it.  Her  objection  had  been  the  poverty 
of  Mr.  Storms,  and  that  objection  was  disregarded. 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  could  do  no  more  ;  they  would  wed, 
and  in  later  years,  while  being  ground  in  the  mills  of  a 
dollarless  experience,  they  might  justify  the  wisdom  of 
her  objection.  In  this  gracious  fashion  did  Mrs.  Han 
way-Harley  sanction  the  union  of  her  only  daughter 


STORRI   WRITES   A   MESSAGE         455 

Dorothy  with  Mr.  Richard  Storms ;  after  which  she 
folded  her  matronly  hands  in  resignation,  bearing 
meanwhile  the  manner  of  one  who  will  face  the  worst 
bravely  and  hopes  that  others  are  prepared  to  do  the 
same. 

Dorothy  was  quite  affected,  and  hung  round  the  neck 
of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  shedding  copious  tears. 
Richard,  who  felt  decidedly  foolish  and  could  not  shake 
off  the  impression  that  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  some 
how  the  victim  of  his  happiness, — such  was  the  serious 
effect  of  that  lady's  acting, — confessed  himself  delighted 
when  the  interview  was  over.  When  Dorothy  and  he 
were  by  themselves,  Richard  drew  a  deep  breath,  and 
confided  to  Dorothy  that  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  a 
load  off  his  mind,  whatever  that  should  mean. 

The  formalities  above  recorded  having  been  disposed 
of,  Dorothy,  nobly  abetted  by  Bess  and  extravagantly 
encouraged  by  Mr.  Harley,  plunged  into  the  business 
of  her  trousseau  with  the  utmost  fury.  She  became  the 
center  of  a  bevy  of  dressmakers  and  milliners,  and  these 
artists  got  vastly  in  the  way  of  Richard  when  he  called. 
Richard,  being  excluded,  put  in  hours  in  the  harmless 
society  of  Mr.  Fopling,  who  looked  upon  Richard,  now 
his  wedding  day  was  fixed,  in  fearful  admiration,  and 
said  that  some  day  he  supposed  he  must  come  to  it  him 
self.  Mr.  Fopling  spoke  of  marriage  as  though  it  were 
a  desperate  creature  of  citadels  and  mines  and  scaling 


456  THE  PRESIDENT 

ladders  and  smoke-filled  breaches,  to  face  which  would 
call  for  the  soul  of  a  paladin. 

As  Dorothy's  gown-buying  and  hat-trimming  ex 
panded  into  a  riot  of  ribbons  and  flounces  and  all  deco 
rative  things,  Mrs.  Hanway-Harlcy,  attracted  by  a 
bustle  dear  to  the  feminine  heart,  was  drawn  more  and 
more  from  out  her  shell  of  martyrdom  until  finally  she 
stood  in  the  fore-front  of  the  melee,  giving  directions. 
She  never  omitted,  however,  to  maintain  a  melancholy, 
and  comported  herself  at  all  times  as  should  a  mother 
who  only  bows  to  the  dread  inevitable  and  but  dresses 
her  child  for  the  sacrifice. 

Storri  about  this  time  was  excessively  and  secretly  the 
busy  man.  He  went  often  to  New  York,  and  held  con 
ferences  with  Steamboat  Dan.  The  latter,  at  Storri's 
suggestion,  began  picking  up  his  people ;  all  were 
criminal,  all  aquatic,  and  two  were  capable,  respectively, 
of  discharging  the  duties  of  a  sailing  master  and  an 
engineer. 

Whenever  Storri  visited  New  York,  Inspector  Val  was 
never  far  to  find;  now  and  then  he  sent  for  Steamboat 
Dan  to  hear  how  the  plans  of  Storri  moved.  Steamboat 
Dan  failed  not  to  respond;  for  he  was  stricken  of  a 
wholesome  fear  of  Inspector  Val.  And  well  he  might 
be.  There  was  that  prison  cell  in  Joliet  all  vacant  for 
his  coming ;  and  he  must  protect  the  shady  peace  of  the 
Albion  House  near  James  Slip.  Altogether,  there  was 


STORRI   WRITES    A    MESSAGE         457 

no  help  for  it ;  Steamboat  Dan  must  yield  to  his  destiny 
of  stool  pigeon  or  pay  the  penalty  in  stripes.  Where 
fore  he  appeared  faithfully  when  called,  and  told  In 
spector  Val  of  Storri's  preparations.  The  Zulu  Queerij 
rich  in  stores,  her  bunkers  choked  with  coal,  waited  only 
to  be  fired  up ;  those  men  who  were  to  sail  her  had  been 
secured ;  her  papers  and  her  captain's  papers  as  well  as 
those  of  her  engineer  were  ready.  The  one  thing  now 
was  Storri's  signal;  and  with  that  all  hands  would  go 
aboard,  get  up  steam,  and  point  the  sable  cutwater  of 
the  Zulu  Queen  for  Washington. 

Steamboat  Dan  informed  Inspector  Val  of  nothing 
which  the  thief-taker's  sagacity  or  vigilance  had  not 
anticipated.  But  Inspector  Val  clung  to  the  safe 
theory  that,  whether  for  his  facts  or  deductions,  he 
could  not  have  too  much  confirmatory  proof;  where 
fore  he  was  prone  to  put  Steamboat  Dan  to  frequent 
question.  One  day,  however,  the  stool  pigeon  gave  In 
spector  Val  a  surprising  piece  of  information.  It 
related  to  a  talk  which  he  had  had  with  Storri  the 
evening  before. 

"  It  was  at  the  heel  of  the  hunt  like,"  explained 
Steamboat  Dan,  "  an'  just  as  he's  about  to  go,  he  ups 
an'  makes  it  known  that  he's  goin'  to  need  a  benziner — 
need  a  firebug." 

"  And  of  course  you  promised  to  find  one,"  said  In 
spector  Val. 


458  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  I  had  him  ready ;  one  of  the  gang  is  Benzine  Bob,  an' 
you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  when  it  comes  to  touchin' 
a  match  to  a  crib,  an'  then  collectin'  the  insurance, 
there's  nobody  nearer  bein'  the  goods  than  Benzine  Bob." 

"  Yes,  I  regard  Bob  as  a  most  gifted  incendiary," 
said  Inspector  Val. 

"  Sure ;  he  could  teach  it.  But  what  do  you  figger 
this  Russian's  goin'  to  burn  ?  " 

"  We'll  learn  in  good  time.  You  must  have  Bob  agree 
to  everything  this  party  asks." 

"  No  trouble  on  that  score ;  settin'  fire  to  things  is 
Benzine  Bob's  religion.  He  says  his  prayers  to  an  oiled 
rag,  and  a  box  of  matches  is  his  Bible." 

Storri,  taking  dark  and  stormy  nights  for  the  visits, 
twice  splashed  up  the  drain  to  see  how  London  Bill  came 
on.  Storri  was  heedful  to  give  the  signals  agreed  upon 
by  rapping  on  the  walls  of  the  drain.  He  had  no  desire 
to  be  killed  in  the  dark  by  London  Bill  upon  a  theory 
that  he,  Storri,  was  the  enemy,  and  so  rapped  out  the 
signals  handsomely,  with  a  little  hammer  he  had  by  him 
for  the  purpose,  while  still  ten  rods  from  the  scene  of 
operations. 

London  Bill  was  slowly,  yet  surely,  boring  forward 
with  his  tunnel.  The  clay  as  it  was  dug  must  be  dragged 
to  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel  in  the  willow  basket,  and 
cast  into  the  stream ;  that  was  a  process  to  require  time. 
However,  time  there  was  and  plenty ;  London  Bill  would 


STORRI   WRITES   A   MESSAGE         459 

have  his  work  in  perfect  trim  against  the  Friday  even 
ing  for  which  the  final  and  decisive  attack  on  the  gold 
was  scheduled.  The  tunnel,  as  London  Bill  had  said  it 
must  be,  was  about  four  feet  high  and  three  in  width, 
and  Storri  found  that  he  went  in  and  out  very  readily 
by  traveling  on  hands  and  knees.  Storri  would  have 
come  oftener  to  observe  how  London  Bill  fared  with  his 
work,  but  the  cracksman  discountenanced  the  thought. 

"  There's  no  sense  in  comin',"  explained  London  Bill. 
"  You  can't  do  any  good,  an'  you  get  in  the  way.  Be 
sides,  there's  the  chance  of  being  piped  off ;  some  party 
might  see  you  and  catch  on." 

One  day  Inspector  Val  brought  Richard  a  contrivance 
made  of  thin  rubber.  It  was  circular,  and  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter.  If  the  rubber  contrivance  resembled 
anything,  it  was  one  of  those  hot-water  bags  common  in 
the  trade  of  hospitals.  It  was  hollow,  and  had  a  metal 
mouth  shaped  like  the  mouth  of  a  bottle ;  instead  of 
water,  however,  the  bag  was  intended  to  hold  air. 
Pumped  full  of  air,  the  rubber  bag,  or  rather  cushion, 
exhibited  a  thickness  of  about  six  inches.  It  looked  a 
little  like  a  life  preserver ;  the  more  since  there  was  a  hole 
in  the  center,  albeit  the  hole  was  no  wider  than  an  inch 
across.  The  rubber  bag  or  cushion  was  extremely  light, 
the  material  being  twice  the  weight  of  that  employed  in 
the  making  of  toy  balloons.  Inflated  and  considered  as 
a  raft,  the  rubber  cushion  would  support  a  weight  of 


460  THE  PRESIDENT 

twenty  pounds,  and  draw  no  more  than  three  inches  of 
water  in  so  doing. 

"  Storri  bought  four  thousand  of  these  from  the 
Goodyear  Company,"  vouchsafed  Inspector  Val ;  "  had 
them  made  after  patterns  of  his  own.  A  mighty  tidy 
invention,  take  my  word  for  it ! "  and  the  eye  of  In 
spector  Val  glanced  approval  of  the  circular  rubber 
raft.  Then  he  showed  Richard  how  the  cushion  could  be 
inflated  in  a  few  seconds  with  an  air-pump;  and  how, 
being  inflated,  an  automatic  valve  closed  and  kept  the 
air  prisoner.  "  A  tidy  arrangement,  take  my  word,  and 
does  that  Russian  party  credit !  " 

"  What  will  he  do  with  it?  "  asked  Richard. 

"  Put  the  question  later,"  responded  Inspector  Val, 
who  was  a  slave  to  the  dramatic  and  never  turned  loose 
his  climaxes  prematurely. 

The  San  Reve  was  of  a  nature  too  easily  the  prey  of 
somber  suspicions  to  ever  find  perfect  happiness.  Be 
sides  she  had  been  saddened,  if  not  soured,  by  the  rougher, 
harder  visitations  of  life.  As  nearly  as  she  might  be, 
however,  these  days  the  San  Reve  was  happy.  And 
peace  came  to  her  more  and  more  as  spring  deepened 
into  May.  Storri  was  every  day  to  see  her;  and  the 
most  patient  investigation  only  served  to  make  it  sure 
that  he  had  ended  his  relations  with  the  Harleys. 
Storri  went  no  more  to  the  Harley  house,  and  if  there 
had  existed  a  least  of  chance  that  he  would  wed 


STORRI    WRITES    A    MESSAGE         461 

Miss  Harlcy,  the  peril  was  passed  by.  The  San  Reve  be 
gan  to  doubt  if  such  a  plan  had  ever  been  in  Storri's 
mind ;  she  was  inclined  to  think  herself  a  jealous  fool  for 
entertaining  the  belief.  She  had  wronged  her  Storri ;  it 
was  as  he  told  her  from  the  first ;  his  relations,  those  of 
business,  had  been  solely  with  Mr.  Harley.  At  this 
view,  so  flattering  to  the  loyal  truth  of  Storri,  the  San 
Reve's  bosom  welled  with  a  great  love  for  that  nobleman. 
The  gray-green  eyes  became  quietly  serene ;  the  strong 
beauty  of  her  face  gathered  effulgence  in  the  sunshine 
of  love's  confidence  renewed. 

It  was  an  evening  in  the  early  days  of  May.  Storri 
was  saying  that  he  had  been  commanded,  through  the 
Russian  Embassy,  to  report  to  "  His  Czar  " ;  he  must 
be  in  St.  Petersburg  June  fifteenth.  The  San  Reve  had 
begun  to  believe  in  the  Czar  as  a  close  intimate  of  her 
Storri. 

"  Yes,  he  has  called  me  home,  my  San  Reve,"  cried 
Storri.  "  There  is  much  that  he  would  know  about  these 
pig  Americans,  and  who  can  tell  him  better  than  his 
Storri.  When  I  go,  which  will  be  about  June  first,  you 
shall  go  with  me." 

The  San  Reve's  heavy  face  was  in  a  glow.  Russia? 
yes ;  and  she  would  see  France  again !  Storri  read  the 
pleasure  in  her  glance.  Observing  that  it  made  the  San 
Reve  more  beautiful,  he  was  taken  of  a  natural  wish 
to  add  to  it. 


462  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Yes,  you  shall  accompany  me ;  I  would  not,  no  not 
even  for  my  Czar,  be  separated  from  you,  my  San 
Reve." 

Storri  was  as  fond  of  fiction  as  Mr.  Harley,  and  of  a 
far  livelier  imagination.  Once  started  on  an  untruth, 
he  would  pursue  it  hither  and  yon  as  a  greyhound 
courses  a  hare.  Like  every  artist  of  the  mendacious,  he 
was  quick  fo:'  those  little  deeds  that  would  give  his 
lies  a  look  of  righteous  integrity.  Thus  it  befell  on 
the  occasion  in  hand. 

"  Behold  now,"  cried  Storri,  as  though  the  idea  had 
just  occurred  to  him,  "  I  will,  while  the  thought  is  fresh 
with  me,  telegraph  a  friend  in  New  York  to  select  our 
staterooms  for  the  next  ship  after  June  first." 

Storri  wrote  his  message ;  the  San  Reve  watching  him, 
her  heart  a-brim  with  love  and  the  happiness  of  return 
ing  home.  She  would  see  France,  see  Paris — see  them 
with  the  man  whom  she  adored !  Storri  whirred  the  tele 
graph  call  that  was  fixed  in  the  hall ;  presently  a  gray- 
coat  lad  appeared  and  bore  away  the  message.  Then 
Storri  beamed  affably  upon  the  San  Reve,  who  took  his 
hand  and  put  it  to  her  grateful  lips. 

Storri  beamed  because  he  was  in  a  right  royal  humor. 
The  episode  had  been  unpremeditated,  and  yet  it  dove 
tailed  to  the  advantage  of  his  designs.  The  maneuver, 
he  could  see,  had  extinguished  the  final  sparks  of  the 
San  Reve's  jealous  suspicions;  extinguished  them  at  a 


STORRI   WRITES    A    MESSAGE         463 

time,  too,  when  it  was  of  consequence  to  lull  the  San  Reve 
into  fullest  assurance  of  his  faith.  And  at  that  he 
had  not  thrown  away  his  wire.  Storri  had  remem 
bered  that  he  must  send  a  word  to  Steamboat  Dan  in 
the  morning.  He  decided  to  forestall  the  morning;  he 
would  dispatch  the  message  at  once.  Being  one  of  those 
who  suck  joy  from  deceit,  it  gave  Storri  a  thrill  of 
supremest  satisfaction  to  transact  the  duplicity  of 
which  she  was  to  be  one  of  the  victims,  in  the  un 
suspecting  presence  of  the  San  Reve.  The  Storri  van 
ity  owned  an  appetite  for  two-faced  triumphs  of  that 
feather. 

Storri  had  departed ;  and  the  San  Reve  was  thinking 
on  her  love  for  him,  and  how  they  would  return  together 
to  the  France  she  was  sick  to  see.  The  bell  rang ;  it  was 
the  messenger  lad  in  need  of  light.  The  message  did 
not  specify  the  city;  the  lad  had  been  told  to  return 
and  have  the  omission  supplied. 

The  San  Reve  took  the  message  with  the  purpose  of 
writing  in  "  New  York."  She  ran  her  gray-green  eye 
over  it.  The  message  read: 

DANIEL  LOUGHUN, 

Albion  House,  James  Slip. 

Get  the  men  together  at  your  place ;  I  will  meet  them 
Friday.  They  must  go  aboard  at  once,  and  take  the 
yacht  to  Fortress  Monroe.  We  shall  then  be  sure  of 
having  it  in  Washington  when  we  want  it.  B. 


464  THE  PRESIDENT 

The  San  Revc  read  and  re-read  until  she  had  every 
word  by  heart.  Then  remembering  the  boy,  she  wrote 
in  "  New  York,"  and  sent  him  on  his  way.  Boy  gone, 
the  San  Reve,  doubts  revived  and  all  her  jealous  sus 
picions  restored  to  sharpest  life,  gave  herself  to  groping 
out  the  meaning  of  that  message  by  the  light  of  those 
lies  wherewith  Storri  had  solemnized  its  production. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

HOW    THE    GOLD    CAME    DOWN 

K CHARD,  ever  modest  and  in  this  instance 
something  timid,  was  for  having  the  wed 
ding  celebrated  in  Senator  Hanway's 
study.  He  sought  to  give  the  preference  an  atmos 
phere  of  sentiment  by  saying  it  was  there  he  first  de 
clared  his  love  for  Dorothy  with  his  eyes.  Bess  pro 
tested  against  the  study,  and  insisted  upon  St.  John's 
Church.  Richard  was  not  to  wed  the  most  beautiful  girl 
in  the  world,  and  then  run  away  with  her,  making  the 
affair  a  secret,  as  though  he  had  stolen  a  sheep.  What ! 
did  Richard  imagine  that  Dorothy  had  been  weeks  over 
a  trousseau  to  have  it  extinguished  in  the  narrow  com 
pass  of  Senator  Hanway's  study?  The  marriage  must 
be  it  in  St.  John's  where  all  mankind,  or  rather  woman 
kind,  might  witness  and  criticise.  Bess  would  be  brides 
maid^  sustained  thereunto  by  four  damsels.  Mr.  Fopling 
should  have  his  part  as  best  man;  it  would  be  good 
practice  for  Mr.  Fopling,  and  serve  to  prepare  him  for 
his  own  wedding,  an  event  which  Bess,  under  the  ex 
hilarating  influence  of  Dorothy's  approaching  nuptials, 

had  determined  upon  for  October. 

465 


466  THE  PRESIDENT 

Mrs.  Hanwaj-Harley  joined  with  Bess  for  the 
church.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  cast  her  vote  delicately, 
saying  she  would  have  it  expressly  understood  that  she 
only  gave  it  as  a  view.  She  hoped  no  one  would  feel 
in  any  sense  bound  thereby ;  she  had  not  been,  speaking 
strictly,  a  party  to  this  marriage,  nothing  in  truth  but 
a  looker-on,  and  therefore  it  did  not  become  her  to  as 
sume  an  attitude  of  authority.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley 
would  only  say  that  churches  were  the  conventional 
thing  and  studies  were  not. 

Richard  capitulated ;  indeed  he  gave  way  instantly 
and  at  the  earliest  suggestion  of  "  church."  His  sur 
render,  made  with  the  utmost  humility,  did  not  prevent 
both  Bess  and  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  from  demonstrat 
ing  their  position  in  full. 

"  When  all  is  said,"  declared  Richard,  "  the  main 
thing  is  the  wedding." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  would  like  to  know  what  plans 
had  been  laid  for  the  honeymoon.  To  what  regions 
would  the  happy  pair  migrate,  and  for  what  space? 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  wore  a  look  of  reserved  sadness 
as  though  she  asked  what  cemetery  had  been  selected  as 
the  destination  of  the  funeral  cortege,  following  ser 
vices  of  final  sorrow  at  the  house. 

Richard  explained  that,  guided  by  Dorothy,  Italy  and 
its  mountains  had  been  pitched  upon.  They  would  go 
from  Italy  to  France;  then  to  England.  The  length 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN         467 

of  their  stay  abroad  was  to  be  always  in  the  hands  of 
Dorothy,  who  would  bring  them  home  to  America  when* 
ever  she  chose. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  sighed  economically,  and  sug 
gested  that  Richard's  happiness  ought  not  to  blind 
him  to  the  subject  of  expense.  It  would  cost  a  pot  of 
money  to  make  the  journey  intimated.  In  a  sudden  gush 
of  hardihood  Richard  kissed  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  and 
assured  her  that  in  all  his  life,  a  life  remarkable  for  an 
utter  carelessness  of  money,  he  had  never  felt  less  like 
reckoning  a  cost.  From  beginning  to  end  he  meant  to 
close  his  eyes  to  that  subject  of  expense.  There  the  busi 
ness  ended,  for  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  too  much 
overcome  by  the  kiss  to  proceed. 

Richard  went  home  and,  being  full  of  that  honey 
moon  the  possible  expense  of  which  had  alarmed  the 
economies  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  summoned  Mr. 
Gwynn.  That  austere  man  assumed  his  place  on  the 
rug  in  frigid  waiting. 

"  Mr.  Gwynn,  you  will  go  to  London,  and  from  there 
to  Paris,  and  lastly  to  Naples,  and  at  each  place  pre 
pare  for  our  reception.  You  will  meet  us  in  Naples  some 
where  from  the  middle  to  the  last  of  June.  I  say  last 
of  June,  for  before  we  reach  Naples  we  may  idle  away 
a  fortnight  in  the  Mediterranean.  Have  everything  in 
perfect  order." 

"  Very  good,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn. 


468  THE  PRESIDENT 

Richard  made  a  slight  dismissive  motion  with  his  hand, 
as  showing  Mr.  Gwynn  that  he  might  retire.  Mr.  Gwynn 
creaked  apologetically,  but  stood  his  ground. 

"  What  is  it?  "  said  Richard. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  observed  Mr.  Gwynn,  a  gleam  in 
the  piscatorial  eye,  "  if  you  please,  sir,  before  I  leave  for 
Europe  have  I  your  permission  to  take  out  my  first 
papers  and  declare  my  intention  to  become  a  citizen  of 
this  country  ?  " 

"  May  I  ask  what  has  moved  you  to  propose  this  com 
pliment  for  the  United  States?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  should  you  be  so  good  as  to  sanction  it, 
I  have  a  little  plan,  sir." 

"  Indeed ;  and  what  may  be  the  plan  which  results  so 
much  to  the  advantage  of  this  country?  " 

"  I  have  a  plan,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Gwynn,  with  a  hesitat 
ing  creak,  "  always  of  course,  sir,  with  your  consent,  to 
become  a  Senator,  sir." 

"  Ah,  I  see,"  observed  Richard  with  a  fine  gravity, 
"  your  acquaintance  with  Senators  Gruff  and  Dice  and 
Loot  and  others,  and  your  study  of  those  statesmen, 
have  encouraged  an  ambition  to  make  yourself  one  of 
them." 

"  Yes,  sir,  if  you  please,  sir." 

"  And  what  State  do  you  intend  to  honor  as  its  Sena 
tor?  " 

*  That  I  shall  leave  entirely  to  you,  sir.     I  think  you 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          469 

will  agree,  sir,  that  there  arc  several  States  where  the 
word  of  the  Anaconda  should  accomplish  what  I  desire, 
sir." 

"  Well,"  observed  Richard,  schooling  his  face  to  a 
difficult  seriousness,  "  there  has  been  much  in  your  re 
cent  experiences,  Mr.  Gwynn,  to  justify  the  thought. 
It  will  do  no  harm  were  you  to  take  the  steps  }rou  sug 
gest  towards  becoming  a  citizen,  even  if  it  should  not 
end  in  a  seat  in  the  Senate,  a  place  for  which  I  cannot 
deny  you  possess  many  qualifying  attributes.  How 
ever,  the  great  thing  now  is  to  get  across  to  Europe 
with  every  possible  dispatch  and  have  all  ready  for  our 
coming.  We  shall  be  abroad  several  months;  on  our 
return  we  may  again  take  up  this  business  of  making 
you  a  Senator." 

"  Thank  you,  sir;  very  good,  sir!  " 

Richard  became  ingenious ;  pursuing  a  bright  idea,  he 
took  occasion  to  explain  to  Mr.  Sands  that  the  Hanway 
report  on  Northern  Consolidated,  which  he,  Mr.  Sands, 
had  been  so  intelligent  as  to  purloin,  having  resulted 
in  certain  Wall  Street  advantages  to  Mr.  Bayard  and 
others,  it  was  now  determined  that  an  annuity  should 
be  purchased  in  his,  Mr.  Sands',  favor. 

"  The  matter,"  said  Richard,  "  will  receive  the  at 
tention  of  Mr.  Bayard  on  June  second.  I  am  told  it 
will  provide  you  an  annual  income  of  full  fifteen  thou 
sand  dollars  for  the  balance  of  your  life." 


470  THE  PRESIDENT 

Mr.  Sands  did  not  give  way  to  the  least  excitement, 
but  said  that  he  was  glad.  He  would  hereafter  avoid 
labor,  and  devote  himself  to  the  elevation  of  the  work- 
ingman  as  represented  in  the  union  of  printers.  It  is 
perhaps  as  well  to  set  forth  in  this  place  that  Mr.  Sands 
adhered  most  nobly  to  his  resolution.  In  the  years  that 
followed  he  flourished  the  terror  of  publishers  and  mas 
ter-printers,  advising  many  strikes  for  shorter  hours 
and  a  longer  wage,  never  failing  from  his  personal  fisc  to 
furnish  what  halls  and  beer  the  exigencies  of  each  strike 
made  necessary,  and  wanting  which  no  great  industrial 
movement  can  survive. 

Word  of  the  coming  wedding  got  about,  and  the 
gossipy  murmur  of  it  reached  the  ears  of  Storri.  The 
news  stirred  his  savage  nature  to  the  dregs. 

"  June,  the  first ! "  sneered  Storri,  as  he  paced  his 
apartment  in  furious  soliloquy.  "  Now  we  shall  see  f 
Yes,  you  little  people  must  first  settle  with  Storri!  A 
Russian  nobleman  is  not  to  be  disposed  of  so  cheaply ! 
What  if  he  were  to  steal  away  your  bride  ?  The  caitiff 
Storms  must  then  wait,  eh  ?  " 

Storri  snapped  his  fingers  in  vicious  derision.  He 
pictured  the  father  and  mother  and  bridegroom,  when 
they  arose  on  the  wedding  morning  to  find  that  the  bride 
had  been  spirited  away.  Storri  programmed  a  crime, 
the  black  audacity  of  which  went  far  beyond  that  dark- 
lantern  enterprise  of  Treasury  gold  upon  which  London 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          471 

Bill  was  so  patiently  employed.  The  design  possessed 
the  simplicity,  too,  which  is  a  ruling  feature  of  your 
staggering  atrocity.  The  gold  would  be  going  aboard 
the  Zulu  Queen  on  Friday,  Saturday,  and  Sunday 
nights.  With  the  first  blue  streaks  of  dawn  on  Monday, 
May  thirtieth,  say  at  four  o'clock,  the  Zulu  Queen, 
thinking  on  escape,  must  up  anchor  and  go  steaming 
down  the  Potomac.  Now  what  should  be  less  complex 
than  to  have  Benzine  Bob  set  fire  to  the  Harley  house  an 
hour  before  the  time  to  sail?  A  bundle  of  combustibles 
soaked  in  kerosene  could  be  introduced  into  Senator 
Hanway's  study ;  the  details  might  be  safely  left  with 
Benzine  Bob,  to  whom  opening  a  window  or  taking  out 
a  pane  of  glass  offered  few  deterring  difficulties.  The 
Harley  house  would  be  instantly  filled  with  fire  and  smoke. 
Storri  and  Benzine  Bob,  under  pretense  of  saving  life, 
would  burst  in  the  door.  Storri  would  seize  on  Dorothy, 
who,  if  she  were  not  already  in  a  convenient  fainting  fit, 
might  be  stifled  by  muffling  her  in  blankets.  Steamboat 
Dan  would  be  in  the  street  with  a  cab,  himself  on  the  box 
as  driver.  Presto !  Storri  with  his  sweet  prize  would 
whirl  away  to  the  river  front.  The  launch  would  be 
waiting ;  the  fair  Dorothy  should  find  herself  safe  pris 
oner  aboard  the  Zulu  Queen  before  she  knew  what  had 
taken  place.  True,  there  would  be  a  crowd;  the  fire 
people,  and  what  others  were  abroad  at  that  hour,  would 
rush  to  the  burning  house.  And  yet  who  would  think 


472  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  questioning  Storri,  so  heroically  rescuing  life?  Who 
would  dream  of  stopping  him  who  was  only  taking  the 
rescued  fainting  one  to  safe  shelter  and  medical  help? 
In  the  bustle  and  alarm,  Storri  was  bound  to  succeed; 
there  was  no  least  chance  of  interference. 

If  Storri  could  have  read  the  jealous  breast  of  the 
San  Reve,  in  which  kindly  soil  a  wildest  suspicion  was 
never  two  hours  old  before  it  had  grown  to  the  granite 
dignity  of  things  certain,  his  criminal  hopes  might  not 
have  soared  so  high !  Had  he  known  how  his  every  step 
wras  shadowed  by  the  sleepless  Inspector  Val,  and  that 
what  the  latter  did  not  surmise  was  invariably  told  him 
by  Steamboat  Dan,  his  horrid  confidence  would  have 
been  less  insolent  in  its  anticipations! 

Mayhap  there  be  those  among  you  who  have 
"  punched  "  the  casual  cow,  and  whose  "beef-wanderings 
included  the  drear  wide-stretching  waste  yclept  the 
Texas  Panhandle.  If  so  you  have  noted,  studded  hither 
and  yon  about  the  scene,  certain  conical  hillocks  or  moun- 
tainettes  of  sand.  Those  dwarf  sand-mountains  were 
born  of  the  labor  of  the  winds,  which  in  those  distant 
regions  are  famous  for  persistent,  not  to  say  pernicious 
industry.  Given  a  right  direction,  the  wind  in  its  sand- 
drifting  will  build  you  one  of  those  sand-cones  almost 
while  you  wait.  The  sand-cone  will  grow  as  a  stocking 
grows  beneath  the  clicking  needles  of  some  ancient  dame. 
Again,  the  wind,  reversing  in  the  dance,  will  unravel  the 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          473 

sand-cone  and  carry  it  off  to  powder  it  about  the  plain. 
The  sand-cone  will  vanish  in  a  night,  as  it  came  in  a 
night,  and  what  was  its  site  will  be  swept  as  flatly  clean 
as  any  threshing  floor. 

Thus  was  it  with  Senator  Hanway  on  a  certain  fate 
ful  day  in  May,  and  less  than  a  fortnight  before  the 
coming  together  of  the  convention  which  should  pass 
on  the  business  of  a  Presidential  candidate.  Compared 
with  that  other  sand-cone  of  politics,  to  wit,  Governor 
Obstinate,  Senator  Hanway  outtopped  him  as  a  tree  out- 
tops  a  shrub.  In  a  moment  the  situation,  so  flattering 
to  Senator  Hanway,  was  changed  disastrously.  Those 
winds  which  builded  him  into  the  most  imposing  sand- 
cone  of  all  that  dotted  the  plains  of  party  had  shifted, 
and  with  mournful  effect.  Senator  Hanway,  beneath 
their  erosive  influence,  shrunk  from  a  certainty  to  a 
probability,  from  a  probability  to  a  possibility,  and  then 
wholly  disappeared.  And  this  disheartening  miracle  was 
worked  before  the  eyes  of  Senator  Hanway,  and  before 
the  eyes  of  his  friends ;  and  yet  no  one  might  stay  the 
calamity  in  its  fulfillment.  The  amazing  story,  avoid 
ing  simile  and  figure,  may  be  laid  open  in  a  handful  of 
sentences. 

On  that  dread  day,  which  you  are  to  keep  in  memory, 
nothing  could  have  been  brighter  than  the  prospects  of 
Senator  Hanway.  The  national  delegates,  some  nine 
hundred  odd,  had  been  selected — each  State  naming  its 


474  THE  PRESIDENT 

quota — and  waited  only  the  appointed  hour  to  come 
together  and  frame  the  party's  ticket.  By  count  of 
friend  and  foe  alike,  Senator  Hanway  was  certain  of 
convention  fortune ;  he  was  the  sure  prognostication  for 
the  White  House  of  all  the  prophets. 

And  because  the  last  is  ever  the  first  in  the  memory 
of  a  forgetful  age,  and  therefore  the  most  important, 
that  which  particularly  contributed  to  the  strength  of 
Senator  Hanway  was  his  project  of  a  Georgian  Bay- 
Ontario  Canal.  There  arose  but  one  opinion,  and  that 
of  highest  favor,  touching  this  gigantic  waterway  and 
the  farsighted  statesmanship  which  conceived  it;  that 
is,  but  one  opinion  if  you  except  the  murmurs  of  a  few 
railway  companies  who  trembled  over  freight  rates,  and 
whose  complaints  were  lost  in  the  general  roar  of  Canal 
approval. 

At  this  juncture,  so  fraught  with  happy  promise  for 
Senator  Hanway,  what  should  come  waddling  into  the 
equation  to  spoil  all,  but  a  purblind,  klabber-witted 
journal  of  Toronto,  just  then  busy  beating  the  beauties 
of  the  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal  into  the  dull  Ca 
nadian  skull.  This  imprint,  as  a  reason  for  Kanuck 
acquiescence  in  the  great  waterway,  proceeded  to  show 
how  its  effect  would  be  to  strengthen  Canada  in  case  of 
war  between  England  and  the  United  States.  Batteries 
could  be  planted  to  defend  the  entrances  of  the  canal, 
which  might  then  be  employed  in  quickly  sending  a  Ca- 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          475 

nadian  fleet  from  the  upper  lakes  into  Ontario  and  vice 
versa.  Twenty  Canadian  war  boats,  with  the  canal  to 
aid  them,  could  threaten  New  York  in  the  morning  and 
Michigan  in  the  afternoon,  and  keep  threefold  their 
number  of  American  vessels  jumping  sidewise  to  guard 
against  their  ravages.  If  for  no  reason  other  than  a 
reason  of  defensive  and  offensive  war,  Canada  should 
have  the  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal.  Thus  spake 
this  valuable  authority  of  Toronto. 

It  was  Mr.  Hawke,  among  the  adherents  of  Governor 
Obstinate,  who  saw  the  weapon  that  might  be  fashioned 
against  Senator  Hanway  from  the  Canadian  sugges 
tion.  Mr.  Hawke  had  long  been  aware  of  Senator  Han- 
way's  interference  against  himself  in  the  Speakership 
fight,  and  in  favor  of  Mr.  Frost.  True,  he  did  not 
know  of  those  four  hundred  terrifying  telegrams  that  so 
shook  from  his  support  the  hysterical  little  goat- 
bearded  one  and  his  equally  hysterical  fellows ;  but  Mr. 
Hawke  had  learned  enough  to  ascribe  his  defeat  to 
Senator  Hanway,  and  that  was  sufficient  to  edge  him 
with  double  readiness  to  do  said  statesman  what  injury 
he  could.  Besides,  there  was  the  native  eagerness  of  Mr. 
Hawke  to  move  everything  for  the  good  of  Governor 
Obstinate. 

Mr.  Hawke  came  out  in  a  well-considered  interview 
concerning  the  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal,  in  which 
he  quoted  in  full  the  Toronto  paper.  Mr.  Hawke 


476  THE  PRESIDENT 

agreed  with  the  Toronto  paper;  in  addition  he  sol 
emnly  gave  it  as  his  belief  that  Senator  Hanway's 
real  purpose  had  ever  been  to  arm  England  against  this 
country.  Mr.  Hawke  became  denunciatory,  and  called 
Senator  Hanway  a  traitor  working  for  English  prefer 
ence  and  English  gold.  He  said  that  Senator  Hanway 
was  a  greater  reprobate  than  Benedict  Arnold.  Mr. 
Hawke  rehearsed  the  British  armament  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere,  and  counted  the  guns  in  Halifax,  Montreal, 
Quebec,  Esquimalt,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Bermudas,  the 
Bahamas,  and  the  British  West  Indies.  He  pointed  out 
that  England  already  possessed  a  fighting  fleet  on  the 
Great  Lakes  which  wanted  nothing  but  the  guns — and 
those  could  be  mounted  in  a  day — to  make  them  capa 
ble  of  burning  a  fringe  ten  miles  wide  along  the  whole 
lake  coast  of  the  United  States.  Buffalo,  Detroit, 
Chicago,  every  city  on  the  lakes  was  at  the  mercy  of 
England ;  and  now  her  agent,  Senator  Hanway,  to  make 
the  awful  certainty  threefold  surer,  was  traitorously 
proposing  his  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal.  Mr. 
Hawke,  being  a  Southern  man,  and  because  no  Southern 
man  can  complete  an  interview  without,  like  Silas  Wegg, 
dropping  into  verse,  quoted  from  Byron  where  he  stole 
from  Waller  for  his  lines  on  White : 

"  So  the  struck  eagle  stretched  upon  the  plain, 
No  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again, 
Viewed  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart 
And  winged  the  shaft  that  quivered  in  Ms  heart." 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN         477 

Mr.  Hawke  closed  in  with  a  burst  of  eloquence,  but 
metaphors  sadly  mixed,  by  picturing  this  country  as  a 
"  struck  eagle,"  expiring  at  the  feet  of  England.  It 
then  might  find,  cried  Mr.  Hawke,  how  it  had  winged 
the  murderous  shaft  that  stole  its  life  away  with  the 
Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal.  Senator  Hanway  was 
given  his  share  in  the  picture  as  the  paid  traitor  who  had 
furnished  that  feather  from  the  American  Eagle's  wing 
which  so  fatally  aided  the  enemy  in  his  archery. 

To  one  unacquainted  with  the  tinderous  quality  of 
political  popularities,  what  ensued  would  be  hard  to 
imagine.  Mr.  Hawke's  interview  was  as  a  torch  to  tow. 
A  tiny  responsive  flame  burst  forth  in  one  paper,  then 
in  ten,  then  in  two  hundred;  in  a  moment  the  country 
was  afire  like  a  sun-dry  prairie.  Senator  Hanway, 
lately  adored,  was  execrated  and  burned  in  effigy.  In 
short  there  occurred  an  uprising  of  the  peasantry,  and 
Senator  Hanway  found  himself  denounced  from  ocean 
to  ocean  as  one  guilty  of  studied  treason.  It  was  as 
much  as  one's  political  life  was  worth  to  be  on  terms  of 
friendship  with  him. 

Speaker  Frost  called,  and  explained  to  Senator  Han 
way  that  he  could  no  longer  hold  the  delegation  from  his 
State  in  his,  Senator  Hanway's,  interest ;  it  would  vote 
solidly  against  him  in  the  coming  convention.  Senator 
Gruff  came  under  cloud  of  night,  as  though  to  hold 
conference  with  a  felon,  and  said  that  he  had  received 


478  THE  PRESIDENT 

advices  from  the  Anaconda  President  to  the  effect  that 
nothing,  not  even  the  mighty  Anaconda,  could  stem  the 
tide  then  setting  and  raging  in  Anaconda  regions 
against  Senator  Hanway.  It  was  the  Anaconda  Presi 
dent's  suggestion  that  Senator  Hanway  withdraw  him 
self  from  present  thoughts  of  a  White  House.  The  sev 
eral  States  whose  conventions  had  instructed  for  Sena 
tor  Hanway,  through  special  meetings  of  their  central 
committees,  rescinded  those  instructions.  Throughout 
the  country  every  vestige  of  a  Hanway  enthusiasm  was 
smothered,  every  scrap  of  Hanway  hope  was  made 
to  disappear;  that  statesman  was  left  in  no  more  gen 
erous  peril  of  becoming  President  than  of  becoming 
Pope.  And  all  through  the  gorgeous  proposition  of  a 
Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal,  and  the  adroit  use  which 
the  malevolent  Mr.  Hawke  had  made  of  it !  The  passing 
of  Senator  Hanway  was  the  wonder  of  politics ! 

And  yet  that  indomitable  publicist  bore  these  re 
verses  grandly,  for  he  was  capable  of  stoicism.  More 
over,  he  was  of  that  hopeful  incessant  brood,  like  ants 
or  wasps,  the  members  whereof  begin  instantly  in  the 
wake  of  the  storm  to  rebuild  their  destroyed  domiciles. 
And  from  the  first  he  lulled  himself  with  no  false  hopes. 
As  one  after  the  other  Senator  Hanway  found  his  pros 
pects  ablaze,  the  knowledge  broke  on  him,  and  he 
accepted  it,  that  the  immediate  future  held  for  him  no 
Presidency.  It  would  be  party  madness  to  put  him  up ; 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          479 

the  party  rank  and  file  were  in  ferocious  arms  against 
him. 

Senator  Hanway  drew  one  deep  breath  of  regret  and 
that  was  the  limit  of  his  lamentation.  He  was  young, 
when  one  thinks  of  a  White  House ;  there  still  remained 
room  in  his  life  for  three  more  shoots  at  that  alluring 
target ;  he  would  withdraw  and  re-prepare  for  four  years 
or  eight  years  or — if  Fate  should  so  order  the  postpone 
ment  of  his  ambition — twelve  years  away.  The  public 
memory  was  short;  within  a  year  his  fatal  Georgian 
Bay-Ontario  Canal  would  be  forgot.  Meanwhile,  what 
was  there  he  might  save  from  the  situation  as  it  stood? 

Senator  Hanway  exerted  his  diplomacy,  and  as  fruit 
thereof  was  visited  by  an  eye-glassed  gentleman — a 
foremost  national  figure,  and  the  chief  of  Governor  Ob 
stinate's  management.  Senator  Hanway  showed  the 
eye-glassed  Mazarin  of  party  how,  upon  his  own 
withdrawal,  he,  Senator  Hanway,  might  put  Speaker 
Frost  in  his  place  and  endow  him  with  the  major  share 
of  what  had  been  his  own  elements  of  strength.  Was 
there  any  reason  why  he,  Senator  Hanway,  should  re 
frain  from  such  a  step? 

The  eye-glassed  Mazarin  thereupon  represented  that 
it  would  be  much  better  if  Speaker  Frost  were  to  remain 
undisturbed  in  his  House  autocracy.  It  was  over-late 
for  Speaker  Frost  and  the  convention  only  days  away. 
The  die  was  already  cast ;  Governor  Obstinate  would  be 


480  THE  PRESIDENT 

nominated  and  elected.  Once  inaugurated,  the  eye- 
glassed  Mazarin  understood  that  it  would  be  Governor 
Obstinate's  earliest  care  to  invite  Senator  Hanway  into 
his  Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  The  scandal 
of  the  Georgian  Bay-Ontario  Canal  would  have  blown 
itself  out ;  also  no  one — against  a  President  whose 
hands  were  full  of  offices — would  dare  lift  up  his  voice  in 
criticism  of  any  Cabinet  selection. 

Senator  Hanway  wras  impressed  by  the  hint  of  the 
eye-glassed  Mazarin.  The  Treasury  portfolio  stood 
within  ready  throw  of  a  Presidential  nomination ;  he, 
Senator  Hanway,  might  step  from  it  the  successor 
of  Governor  Obstinate  whenever  that  gentleman's  ten 
ancy  of  the  White  House  should  come  to  an  end.  Like 
wise,  the  Treasury  portfolio  was  as  a  thirtecn-inch  gun 
within  pointblank  range  of  the  stock  market. 

Senator  Hanway  took  a  week  to  consider ;  he  con 
ferred  with  Senators  Gruff  and  Price  and  Loot  and  lastly 
with  Mr.  Harley.  Then  he  struck  hands  with  the  eye- 
glassed  Mazarin,  and  published  an  interview  in  the 
Dally  Tory  saying  that  he,  Senator  Hanway,  was  not 
and  had  never  been  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency ;  that 
he  was  and  had  ever  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  needs 
of  both  a  public  and  a  party  hour  imperatively  de 
manded  Governor  Obstinate  at  the  Nation's  helm.  He, 
Senator  Hanway,  being  a  patriot,  was  diligently  work 
ing  for  the  nomination  and  election  of  Governor  Obsti- 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          481 

nate,  and  all  who  called  him  friend  would  do  the  same. 
Following  this  pronunciamento,  Senator  Hanway  began 
laying  personal  pipes  for  four  years  away  with  pristine 
ardor. 

Friday,  the  twenty-seventh  of  May,  was  dark  and 
lowering,  with  a  slow  storm  blackly  gathering  in  the 
southwest.  It  was  four  in  the  afternoon  when  the  Zulu 
Queen  came  up  the  river,  and  under  quarter  speed  crept 
in  and  anchored  within  one  thousand  feet  of  the  mouth 
of  Storri's  drain.  Perhaps,  of  all  the  folk  in  Washing 
ton,  no  more  than  three  remarked  the  advent  of  the 
Zulu  Queen;  one  of  these  was  Storri,  one  the  San  Reve, 
and  one  Inspector  Val.  Storri  saw  neither  of  the 
others ;  the  San  Reve  saw  only  Storri ;  Inspector  Val, 
whose  trade  was  eyes,  saw  both  Storri  and  the  San  Reve. 
Four  of  Steamboat  Dan's  men  came  into  town  the  day 
before  by  rail,  and  for  twelve  hours  prior  to  the  advent 
of  the  Zulu  Queen,  and  under  the  lead  of  Steamboat 
Dan,  had  been  in  the  drain  giving  aid  and  comfort  to 
Cracksman  London  Bill  in  his  efforts  to  reduce  the  gold 
reserve. 

When  Storri  observed  that  the  Zulu  Queen  was  safely 
a-swing  on  her  rope  at  the  very  spot  he  had  specified, 
he  turned  and  moved  rapidly  away.  The  San  Reve, 
who  had  seen  what  she  came  to  see,  was  already  upon 
her  return  journey  to  Grant  Place,  bearing  in  her  bosom 
a  heart  desolate  and  heavy  with  no  hope.  The  coming 


482  THE  PRESIDENT 

of  the  Zulu  Queen  had  confirmed  to  her  the  treachery 
of  Storri.  Yes,  she  the  San  Reve  could  see  it  all  1  Storri 
might  have  quarreled  with  Mr.  Harley ;  but  the  loving 
understanding  between  himself  and  Miss  Harley  was 
still  complete! 

Nor  was  the  poor  jealous  San  Reve  wholly  without 
a  reason,  as  she  beheld  events,  for  her  conclusion. 
Within  the  past  few  days,  Storri  had  been  several  times 
to  and  fro  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Harley  house.  Only 
the  afternoon  before  he  had  cautiously  studied  the  prem 
ises  in  company  with  a  couple  of  suspicious-looking 
characters,  being  indeed  no  other  than  Steamboat  Dan 
and  Benzine  Bob.  The  San  Reve  kept  secret  pace  with 
Storri  in  these  reconnoiterings.  But  she  made  the 
mistake  of  construing  preparations  to  abduct  as  ar 
rangements  to  elope.  As  the  San  Reve  read  the  por 
tents,  Storri  planned  to  meet  Miss  Harley  that  very 
night ;  they  would  fly  together,  the  Zulu  Queen  offering 
a  sure  means  of  baffling  pursuit. 

The  San  Reve,  biased  of  her  jealous  fears,  had  fore 
seen  in  the  message  to  Steamboat  Dan  some  such  end 
as  this.  It  was  all  so  plain  and  sure  to  the  angry,  heart 
broken  San  Reve.  The  false  Storri  had  done  what  he 
might  to  cover  his  intentions  by  daily  lies  as  to  how  and 
when  he,  with  the  San  Reve,  should  sail  for  France  and 
Russia  !  Ah,  yes  ;  the  San  Reve  saw  through  those  lies ! 
While  she  listened  to  his  purring  mendacities  she  must 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN         483 

struggle  to  refrain  from  casting  his  untruths  in  his  teeth. 
Bridle  herself  she  did ;  but  she  watched  and  reflected  and 
resolved  the  wrongful  more.  Now  with  the  coming  of 
the  Zulu  Queen,  the  one  thing  certain  was  that  she,  the 
despised  San  Reve,  would  be  cast  off,  abandoned. 
Those  love-lies  of  Storri  were  intended  to  blind  her  into 
foolish  security ;  he  did  not  wish  the  elopement  designed 
by  him  and  Miss  Harley  to  encounter  obstruction. 
Thus  did  the  San  Reve  solve  the  problem:  while  Storri 
would  be  for  misleading  her,  Miss  Harley  was  hood 
winking  the  Harleys.  For  a  moment  the  San  Reve 
thought  of  notifying  the  Harleys.  Then  in  her  des 
peration  she  put  the  impulse  aside.  Of  what  avail 
would  be  a  call  upon  the  Harleys?  It  might  defer;  it 
could  not  prevent.  No,  she  must  adopt  the  single 
course  by  which  both  her  love  and  her  vengeance  would 
be  made  secure  forever.  She  would  take  Storri  from 
Miss  Harley ;  and,  taking  him,  she  the  San  Reve  would 
keep  him  for  herself  throughout  eternity !  The  present 
life  was  the  prey  of  separations,  of  lies,  of  loves  grown 
cold ;  she,  with  Storri  in  her  arms,  would  seek  another ! 

At  ten  o'clock  Steamboat  Dan  was  to  show  a  mo 
mentary  light  in  the  mouth  of  the  drain.  This  would 
be  the  signal  for  the  Zulu  Queen  to  send  her  launch 
ashore  and  begin  taking  the  gold  aboard.  Storri  pro 
grammed  his  own  appearance  at  the  drain  for  sharp  ten. 
As  he  left  the  water-front,  following  the  appearance  of 


484  THE  PRESIDENT 

the  Zulu  Queen,  he  cast  his  eye  hopefully  upward  at  the 
threatening  clouds ;  a  down-pouring  storm  would  be  the 
thing  most  prayed  for. 

Until  it  was  time  to  start  for  the  drain  to  oversee 
the  transfer  of  the  gold,  Storri  would  remain  with  the 
San  Rcve.  He  was  none  too  confident  of  the  San  Reve ; 
of  late  she  had  been  too  silent,  too  sad,  too  much 
wrapped  in  thought.  And  this  was  the  night  of  nights 
upon  which  Storri  must  be  sure.  In  favor  of  his  own 
security,  Storri  must  know  to  a  verity  both  the  temper 
and  the  whereabouts  of  the  San  Reve. 

Five  minutes  before  Storri  reached  Grant  Place,  the 
rain  fell  in  a  deluge.  The  San  Reve,  more  fortunately 
swift,  was  home  in  advance  of  the  rain  and  came  in 
bone-dry.  When  Storri  arrived,  his  garments  stream 
ing  water,  she  wore  the  look  of  one  who  had  not  been 
out  of  the  house  for  an  afternoon.  Only,  if  Storri  had 
observed  the  San  Reve's  eyes,  and  added  their  expres 
sion,  so  strangely  reckless  yet  so  resolved,  to  the  set 
mouth  and  that  marble  pallor  of  her  brow,  the  result 
might  have  sickened  his  assurance. 

Having  in  mind  his  soaked  condition,  Storri  called  for 
whisky.  The  San  Reve  was  good  enough  to  pour  him 
a  stiff  glass,  which  he  drank  raw  with  the  harsh  appe 
tite  of  a  Russian.  There  was  the  ghost  of  an  odor  of 
sleep  about  that  whisky ;  but  the  sleep-specter  did  not 
appeal  to  Storri,  who  tossed  off  his  drink  and  followed 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          485 

one  dram  with  another,  suspecting  nothing.  Five  min 
utes  later  he  was  drowsing  stertorously  on  a  lounge. 

The  San  Reve,  white,  and  wild  in  a  manner  passive 
and  still,  had  spoken  no  word ;  she  attended  Storri's 
wants  in  silence.  When  that  sudden  weariness  came  to 
claim  him  and  he  cast  himself  in  slumber  upon  the  couch, 
the  San  Reve,  from  where  she  stood  statue-like  in  the 
center  of  the  room,  bent  upon  him  her  gray-green  eyes. 
She  stood  thus  for  a  space,  then  the  slow  tears  began  to 
stain  her  checks.  She  threw  herself  down  beside  Storri, 
kissed  him  and  drew  his  head  to  her  bosom,  crying  hope 
lessly. 

Richard  had  been  requested  by  Inspector  Val  to  meet 
him  at  the  south  front  of  the  Treasury  Building  at  ten 
o'clock. 

"  Do  you  remember,"  asked  Inspector  Val,  "  how  sev 
eral  weeks  ago  we  visited  the  drain?  " 

Yes ;  Richard  recalled  it. 

"  Come  with  me  to-night,"  said  Inspector  Val ;  "  the 
drain  shall  explain  the  mystery  of  that  muddy  water, 
and  why  I  said  our  man  was  hard  at  work." 

When  Richard  and  Inspector  Val,  water-proofed  to 
the  chins,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  drain  the  storm  was 
at  furious  height.  The  rain  descended  in  sheets ;  the 
lightning  made  flashing  leaps  from  cloud  to  cloud  and 
the  ceaseless  thunders  were  as  a  dozen  batteries  of  big 
guns  in  fullest  play.  As  Richard  and  Inspector  Val 


486  THE  PRESIDENT 

came  to  a  halt,  they  were  joined  by  three  men.  Richard, 
aided  by  the  lightning  flashes,  recognized  Mr.  Duff  and 
Mr.  England;  the  third,  being  Steamboat  Dan,  was 
strange  to  him. 

"  Is  the  Russian  inside?  "  asked  Inspector  Val  of 
Steamboat  Dan. 

"  I  don't  know,"  returned  Steamboat  Dan.  "  I've 
been  aboard  the  yacht  since  eight  o'clock  until  twenty 
minutes  ago.  I  came  ashore  in  that  skiff.  Sure,  he 
ought  to  be  in  the  drain;  they've  been  sending  down 
the  stuff  for  hours." 

"  I  don't  find  any  of  it  about?  " 

"  I  threw  a  crowbar  across  the  stream  one  hundred 
yards  up,  and  halted  the  procession.  The  plan,  d'ye 
see,  is  for  me,  the  coast  being  clear,  to  signal  the  launch 
to  come  ashore  for  its  first  cargo  any  time  after  ten — 
which  is  about  now." 

"  We'll  omit  the  launch,"  returned  Inspector  Val. 
"  Go  into  the  drain  and  give  the  boys  the  tip  to  skip. 
After  that,  it's  up  to  all  of  you  to  look  out  for  your 
selves." 

"  Remember,  Inspector,"  pleaded  Steamboat  Dan, 
"  J°u  gaye  your  word  that  me  an'  Bill  an'  the  gang 
ain't  to  be  collared." 

"  Don't  fear ;  the  only  one  I'm  after  is  the  Rus 
sian.  Jump  sharp  now,  and  give  them  the  office  to 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          487 

Steamboat  Dan  entered  the  drain  while  Inspector  Val, 
Richard,  Mr.  Duff,  and  Mr.  England  withdrew  to  a 
little  distance. 

"  Everybody  goes  free  except  the  Russian,"  was  In 
spector  Val's  command  to  Mr.  Duff  and  Mr.  England; 
"  he's  to  be  nailed." 

From  the  drain  came  booming  the  smothered  report 
of  a  pistol. 

"  That's  the  signal,"  said  Inspector  Val ;  "  the  noise 
of  a  gun  will  travel  miles  in  a  tunnel.  They'll  be  coming 
out  now." 

As  he  spoke,  Steamboat  Dan  issued  from  the  drain 
and  fled  like  a  shadow.  A  rattle  of  anchor  chains  was 
heard  aboard  the  Zulu  Queen;  she  also  had  taken 
fright. 

"  The  others  won't  be  here  for  a  while,"  said  In 
spector  Val.  "  They've  got  a  good  ways  to  come,  and 
a  pitch-dark  drain  isn't  the  Bowery." 

Something  like  ten  minutes  passed;  suddenly,  cursing 
and  stumbling  and  splashing,  five  men  rushed  from  the 
drain's  mouth  and  made  off  into  the  darkness. 

"  Close  up  now,"  cried  Inspector  Val ;  "  our  party 
should  be  hard  on  their  heels." 

Inspector  Val  was  wrong ;  ten  minutes,  twenty  minutes 
elapsed,  and  no  one  to  emerge  from  the  drain.  In 
spector  Val,  placing  his  two  aids  on  guard,  said  that  he 
and  Richard  would  investigate.  Bearing  a  dark  lantern, 


488  THE  PRESIDENT 

he  took  the  lead  and  Richard  followed.  About  twenty 
rods  up  the  drain,  Inspector  Val  stumbled  and  all  but 
pitched  upon  his  face. 

"  Look  out !  "  he  cried,  by  way  of  warning. 

The  next  moment  Richard  set  his  foot  on  something 
soft  and  yielding,  which  exploded  with  a  great  noise. 

"  One  of  those  rubber  propositions,"  explained  In 
spector  Val. 

By  the  light  of  the  lamp,  and  as  far  up  the  drain 
as  his  eye  would  reach,  Richard  beheld  a  seemingly 
endless  file  of  circular  rubber  air-cushions,  mates  of  the 
one  Inspector  Val  had  brought  him.  On  the  six-inch 
depth  of  water  which  raced  along  the  cushions  were 
floating  light  as  corks;  in  the  center  of  each  reposed 
a  canvas  sack  of  gold.  As  Steamboat  Dan  explained, 
this  long  line  of  argosies  had  been  brought  to  a  stand 
still  by  laying  an  iron  bar  across  so  as  to  detain  the 
little  rubber-rafts  while  the  stream  ran  on.  Inspector 
Val  had  tripped  over  this  bar.  Remove  the  detaining 
iron  bar,  and  the  released  flotilla  would  sail  downward 
to  the  mouth  of  the  drain  and  deliver  its  yellow  freight 
of  gold  to  whomsoever  waited  to  receive  it. 

Richard  and  Inspector  Val  continued  up  the  drain,  the 
latter  wary  and  ready  for  Storri,  whom  he  every  mo 
ment  hoped  to  meet.  There  appeared  no  Storri;  the 
two  explorers  at  last  reached  London  Bill's  tunnel,  find 
ing  nothing  during  their  march  but  a  solid  procession 


HOW  THE  GOLD  CAME  DOWN          489 

of  richly  freighted  rubber  rafts — three-quarters  of  a 
mile  of  gold! 

"  There's  four  millions  of  dollars  between  here  and 
the  river,"  said  Inspector  Val. 

Richard  and  his  guide  paused  where  London  Bill's 
tunnel  opened  into  the  drain.  Flashing  his  lamp  about, 
Inspector  Val  showed  Richard  where  London  Bill  had 
built  a  platform  on  which  to  store  the  rubber  rafts 
before  inflating  and  launching  them  down-stream,  each 
with  its  five-thousand-dollar  cargo  of  gold. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  sweeter  arrangements !  "  whispered 
Inspector  Val,  in  an  ecstasy  of  admiration. 

Bidding  Richard  remain  where  he  was,  Inspector 
Val;,  revolver  in  one  hand,  dark-lantern  in  the  other, 
bent  low  his  head  and  disappeared  in  London  Bill's  tun 
nel.  He  was  gone  an  age  as  it  seemed  to  Richard.  Then 
he  reappeared,  and  soberly  brushed  the  clay  from  his 
garments. 

"  No  Storri,"  was  the  sententious  remark  of  Inspector 
Val;  "  not  a  sign  of  him.  But  I've  thought  it  out.  Do 
you  know  why  wre  don't  find  Storri?  The  reason  is  the 
best  in  the  world ;  the  man's  dead." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

HOW    THE    SAN    KEVE    KEPT    HER    STOREI 

R CHARD  was  of  a  temperament  singularly 
cool  and  steady.  His  curiosity  had  been 
trained  to  wait,  and  he  put  questions  only  as 
a  last  resort.  Throughout  the  strange  happenings  of 
the  night — the  tryst  with  Inspector  Val — the  meeting 
with  Mr.  Duff  and  Mr.  England  at  the  drain's  mouth — 
the  presence  of  Steamboat  Dan — the  colloquy  between 
that  unworthy  and  Inspector  Val — the  signal  pistol 
shot — the  flight  of  the  robbers — he  had  not  spoken  a 
word.  While  his  astonishment  was  kept  to  an  up 
grade,  there  had  not  been  elicited  a  syllable  of  inquiry 
from  Richard.  He  threaded  the  drain,  encountered  the 
long  fleet  of  little  rubber  argosies,  and  finally  brought 
up  at  London  Bill's  tunnel,  and  never  an  interrogation. 
This  was  not  acting  nor  affectation ;  Richard  knew  that 
he  might  with  better  intelligence  invite  an  explanation 
from  Inspector  Val  after  having  seen  and  understood 
his  utmost.  Moreover,  what  with  the  storm  and  the 
splashing  journey  up  the  drain,  there  had  been  scanty 
opportunity  for  conversation.  Also,  when  he  saw  how 
Inspector  Val  looked  forward  to  the  capture  of  Storri  in 

490 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER  STORRI     491 

the  midst  of  crime,  the  strain  of  expectation  made 
silence  the  natural  thing.  It  took  Inspector  Val's  sud 
den  yet  decisive  assertion  that  Storri  was  dead,  to  pro 
voke  the  first  word.  Storri's  death  instantly  over 
shadowed  all  else  in  the  thoughts  of  Richard. 

"  Storri  dead !  "  he  exclaimed,  making  as  though  he 
would  enter  London  Bill's  tunnel,  from  which  Inspector 
Val  had  crawled  to  make  his  grim  announcement. 

"  Dead  as  Nero !  "  returned  Inspector  Val.  "  But 
not  there — not  in  the  tunnel !  " 

"  Where  then?  "  asked  Richard. 

"In  Grant  Place.  You  recall  the  San  Reve? — she 
who  wrote  the  letter  about  those  French  shares?  Both 
Storri  and  she  are  dead  in  Grant  Place,  or  I'm  not  an 
Inspector  of  Police." 

Richard  was  for  going  to  Grant  Place,  but  Inspector 
Val  detained  him. 

"  There's  no  hurry,"  he  said.  "  Any  discoveries  to  be 
made  in  Grant  Place  will  wait.  On  second  thought  the 
death  of  the  Russian  is  the  best  solution.  But  there's 
no  hurry.  Besides,"  continued  Inspector  Val,  his  tones 
betraying  that  sublime  appreciation  of  art  at  its  ut 
most  which  an  amateur  of  bronzes  might  have  felt  in 
the  presence  of  Cellini's  Perseus,  "  besides,  I  want  you  to 
take  a  look  over  this  job  of  London  Bill!  You'll  never 
again  see  its  equal — never  such  perfection  of  plan  and 
execution ! " 


492  THE  PRESIDENT 

Richard  was  glad  of  the  darkness  that  hid  the  half- 
smile  which  the  delight  of  Inspector  Val  called  forth. 
Protest  would  be  of  no  avail ;  it  was  one  of  those  cases 
where  to  yield  is  the  only  way  of  saving  time. 

Inspector  Val  re-entered  London  Bill's  tunnel  and  in 
vited  Richard  to  follow.  He  showed  Richard  how  truth 
fully,  like  the  work  of  a  best  engineer,  the  tunnel — 
begun  high  above  water-mark  on  the  side  of  the  drain — 
sloped  downward  until  it  dipped  beneath  the  Treasury 
walls.  Then  it  began  to  climb,  heading  as  unerringly 
for  the  gold  as  though  London  Bill  had  brought  clair 
voyant  powers  to  direct  his  digging.  The  tunnel  ran  to 
the  rear  of  the  vault,  and  about  six  feet  beneath  its 
floor.  Then  it  went  straight  upward  ;  and  next,  the  sup 
porting  earth  and  masonry  having  been  removed,  the 
gold,  pressing  with  its  vast  weight,  had  forced  down 
two  of  the  floor  slabs  of  steel  on  one  side,  precisely  as 
London  Bill  designed  from  the  beginning.  Those  fivc- 
thousand-dollar  sacks  spilled  themselves  into  the  tunnel 
of  their  own  motion — a  very  cataract  of  gold !  As  fast 
as  they  were  carried  away,  more  came  tumbling — a  flow 
of  riches,  ceaseless!  Inspector  Val  flashed  his  lantern 
here  and  there  in  disclosure  of  the  wronderful  beauties 
of  the  work.  As  he  did  so,  Richard  heard  him  sigh  in  a 
positive  contentment  of  admiration. 

"  The  most  scientific  job  in  the  history  of  the  po 
lice  ! "  whispered  Inspector  Val.  "  London  Bill  is  cer- 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER   STORRI      493 

tainly  entitled  to  his  rank  as  the  world's  foremost  box- 
worker  !  It's  this  sort  of  a  thing  that  makes  you  respect 
a  man !  " 

Richard  was  driven  to  smile  again  as  he  recalled  the 
sleepy,  intolerant  exquisite,  gloved  and  boutonniered, 
whom  he  met  in  Willard's,  and  compared  him  with  the 
thief-hunting  enthusiast  who,  dark-lantern  in  hand  and 
crouching  under  the  low  clay  roof  of  the  tunnel,  was  so 
rapturously  expounding  the  genius  of  the  great  bur 
glar. 

"  But  greater  still,"  continued  Inspector  Val, 
"  greater  than  London  Bill,  was  that  Russian  party 
Storri.  And  to  think  this  was  his  first — that  he 
was  only  a  beginner !  I  used  to  wonder  how  he  was 
going  to  bring  out  the  gold;  and  I'm  free  to  admit  I 
couldn't  answer  the  question.  Sometimes,  I'd  even  think 
he  had  blundered;  I'd  figure  on  him  as  the  amateur  who 
had  only  considered  the  business  of  going  to  the  gold, 
without  remembering  that  getting  away  with  it  was 
bound  to  be  the  hardest  part  of  the  trick.  You  can  see 
yourself,"  and  here  Inspector  Val  appealed  to  Richard, 
"  and  you  no  crook  at  all,  that  if  it  ever  became  a  case 
of  lugging  out  this  gold  by  hand,  it  would  take  the 
gang  a  week  to  get  away  with  a  half-million.  It 
was  when  Storri  ordered  those  circular  rubber  rafts 
that  I  fell  to  it  all;  it  was  then  I  took  off  my  hat  to 
him !  " 


494  THE  PRESIDENT 

When  Richard  and  Inspector  Val  were  again  at  the 
mouth  of  the  drain,  the  lashing  storm  had  worn  itself 
out.  The  night  was  silently  serene;  the  clouds  were 
breaking,  and  two  or  three  big  stars  peered  down. 
There  was  a  moon,  and  having  advantage  of  a  rift 
in  the  clouds,  a  ray  struck  white  on  Arlington.  Over 
across,  one  might  make  out  the  tall  dark  Maryland 
hills.  Far  away  on  the  river  burned  the  lights  of  the 
Zulu  Queen ;  she  was  holding  her  best  speed  down 
stream,  having  reason  to  think  her  recent  anchorage  a 
perilous  one. 

"  Their  hearts  will  be  in  their  mouths  until  they  clear 
Point  Comfort,"  said  Inspector  Val,  pointing  to  the  re 
treating  Zulu  Queen.  Then  turning  to  Mr.  Duff,  who, 
with  Mr.  England,  had  faithfully  met  him  and  Richard 
when  they  emerged  from  the  drain,  and  giving  him  a 
pasteboard  from  his  case,  he  continued :  "  Mr.  Duff, 
present  my  card  to  the  Chief  of  the  Secret  Service,  and 
tell  him  with  my  compliments  that  he  and  what  men  lie 
handy  to  his  call  are  wanted  at  this  drain.  Should  he 
be  a  bit  slow,  say  that  a  big  slice  of  the  gold  reserve 
has  fallen  into  the  drain,  and  the  situation  doesn't  do 
him  credit.  You,  Mr.  England,  will  remain  on  guard 
until  the  Secret  Service  people  get  here.  London  Bill 
might  regain  confidence,  and  come  back  for  a  sack  of 
that  gold." 

"  Where  now  ?  "  asked  Richard  as  Inspector  Val,  tak- 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER  STORRI     495 

ing  him  by  the  arm,  bent  his  steps  towards  the  center  of 
town. 

"  Grant  Place,"  replied  Inspector  Val.  "  And  on  that 
point,  if  I  may  advise  you,  I'd  not  go  to  Grant  Place; 
one  of  us  will  be  enough.  You'd  see  something  disagree 
able;  besides,  this  killing  may  get  into  the  coroner's 
office,  and  from  there  into  the  courts  and  the  newspapers. 
Considering  that  you  are  to  be  married  in  a  few  days, 
I  should  say  that  you  don't  want  to  have  your  name 
mixed  up  with  it.  No,  the  wise  thing  is  for  me  to  go 
alone." 

"  It's  the  question  of  publicity,"  responded  Richard, 
"  that  I  was  revolving  in  my  mind.  Here's  this  bald 
attempt  to  rob  the  Treasury ' 

"  It  was  magnificent!  "  interjected  Inspector  Val,  un 
able  to  restrain  his  tribute. 

"  And  if  your  surmise  be  correct,"  continued  Richard, 
disregarding  the  interruption,  "  now  come  the  deaths 
of  Storri  and  the  woman  San  Reve  to  cap  the  robbery. 
What,  may  I  ask,  do  you  call  your  duty  in  the  prem 
ises?" 

"  Duty  ?  "  repeated  Inspector  Val.  "  I've  no  duty ; 
that  is,  no  official  duty.  Washington  is  off  my  beat.  My 
course,  however,  must  depend  upon  circumstances.  As 
far  as  I  may,  I  shall  smother  every  mention  of  to-night's 
work.  If  the  papers  get  hold  of  one  end  of  it,  and 
begin  to  haul  it  ashore,  they  will  bring  in  yourself 


496  THE  PRESIDENT 

and  Mr.  Harley  and  Senator  Hanway  in  a  manner  not 
desired  at  this  time.  Besides,  the  Secret  Service  people, 
goaded  by  publicity,  might  pinch  Steamboat  Dan  and 
his  gang.  Now  I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  best  stool 
pigeon  to  please  these  somnambulists  of  the  Secret  Ser 
vice.  Also,  I've  given  my  promise  to  Dan,  and  I  never 
break  my  word." 

"  I'm  quite  anxious,  as  you  may  imagine,"  said  Rich 
ard,  "  to  bury  what  we've  seen  and  heard  to-night.  But 
how  can  it  be  done?  You've  sent  word  to  the  Secret 
Service  Chief." 

"  The  men  of  the  Secret  Service  will  never  mention 
the  business  unless  they  have  to ;  it's  not  to  their  glory. 
The  danger  lies  with  those  dead  folk  waiting  in  Grant 
Place.  If  there  were  nothing  to  hide  but  the  gold  in  the 
drain,  and  the  hole  under  the  Treasury  wall,  it  would 
prove  easy  enough." 

"  But  are  you  sure  that  Storri  is  dead  ?  It's  simply 
your  deduction,  you  know.  You  may  yet  find  him  very 
much  alive." 

"  He's  dead,"  reiterated  Inspector  Val,  with  deepest 
conviction.  "  If  he  were  alive,  we  would  have  found 
him  at  the  drain.  That  gold  would  have  drawn  him 
there  in  his  sleep.  Besides,  I  saw  it  coming.  I've  an  idea, 
however,  that  the  Russian  legation  people  possess  as 
many  motives  for  holding  Storri's  death  a  secret  as  do 
the  Secret  Service  men  for  keeping  dark  the  fact  that 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER   STORRI     497 

the  Treasury  has  been  tapped.  Yes,  the  Russians,  with 
the  State  Department  to  help  them,  will  find  a  way. 
Everything  goes  by  pull,  you  know,"  concluded  Inspector 
Val,  confidently,  "  and  it  will  be  queer  if  the  State  De 
partment  and  the  Russians,  working  together,  can't 
call  Storri's  blinking  out  by  some  name  that  won't  at 
tract  attention." 

Inspector  Val  related  how,  step  by  step,  he  had  kept 
abreast  of  Storri. 

"  When  he  came  out  of  retirement,"  explained  In 
spector  Val,  "  following  the  loss  of  his  money  in  North 
ern  Consolidated,  I  kept  close  tabs  on  him.  These  half- 
civilized  people  are  only  half  sane,  and  some  crazy  crime 
would  have  come  natural  to  this  Russian  at  that  time. 
So,  as  I  tell  you,  I  stayed  close  to  his  heels.  I  could  see 
by  his  face  that  he  had  some  big  purpose.  He  began 
buying  maps  and  visiting  the  department  buildings.  I 
knew  then  we  were  getting  to  the  heart  of  the  affair,  and, 
while  I  couldn't  guess  the  shoot  he  would  take,  I  had 
only  to  follow  to  find  out.  The  moment  he  put  foot  in 
the  Treasury  Building,  I  turned  wise.  Those  visits  to 
the  other  buildings  had  been  mere  '  stalls.'  As  I  fol 
lowed  him  through  the  Treasury  I  could  see  that  now 
he  was  in  earnest. 

"  When  the  Assistant  Secretary  showed  him  the  vault 
that  held  the  gold  reserve,  I  learned  all  I  wanted  to 
learn.  His  design  and  the  crime  he  plotted  were  written 


498  THE  PRESIDENT 

on  his  face.  Of  course  as  soon  as  ever  I  realized  that 
he  meant  to  try  his  teeth  on  the  Treasury,  I  had  only 
to  run  my  eye  over  the  year's  calendar  to  tell  when. 
There  was  a  Sunday  followed  by  Decoration  Day — two 
holidays,  and  no  one  on  guard  worth  considering ;  it  was 
sure  that  Storri  would  hit  upon  those  days  to  make  the 
play.  When  I  saw  how  the  Saturday  before  was  set 
apart  for  a  special  holiday,  the  thing  was  surer  than 
ever.  It  did  not  require  any  deep  intelligence  to  de 
termine  when  Storri  would  act.  Next  I  followed 
him  up  the  drain ;  and  later  to  Steamboat  Dan's. 
That  visit  to  Dan's  so  reduced  the  business  that 
nothing  was  left  but  the  question  of  when  to  make 
the  collar." 

"  What  yacht  was  that?  "  asked  Richard. 

"  It  belongs  to  a  fat-witted  rich  young  fellow  from 
whom  Storri  borrowed  it.  Steamboat  Dan  is  aboard; 
he  went  out  in  the  skiff  he  spoke  of.  When  he's  tied  her 
up  and  his  gang's  ashore,  I'll  wire  the  fat-witted  one  to 
come  and  claim  his  boat." 

Inspector  Val  never  breathed  a  hint  concerning 
Storri's  ebon  purpose  of  abduction,  and  how  he  meant 
to  fire  the  Harley  house  and  then  kidnap  Dorothy  in  the 
confusion  certain  to  be  an  incident  of  flames  and  smoke 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  This  reticence  arose 
from  the  delicacy  of  Inspector  Val.  The  relation  could 
not  fail  to  leave  a  most  unpleasant  impression  upon 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER  STORRI     499 

Richard,  and  Inspector  Val  decided  to  suppress  it  for  the 
nonce. 

"  I'll  keep  it  a  year  and  a  day,"  thought  Inspector 
Val;  "then  I'll  tell  him." 

Richard  adopted  the  counsel  of  Inspector  Val,  and  did 
not  accompany  that  gentleman  of  secrets  to  Grant 
Place.  It  was  the  half  hour  after  midnight  when  In 
spector  Val  climbed  the  Warmdollar  steps,  and  strenu 
ously  pulled  the  bell.  The  latter  appurtenance  was  one 
of  those  old-fashioned  knob-and-wire  tocsins,  and  its 
clangorous  voice  was  calculated  to  arouse,  not  only  the 
house  whereof  it  was  a  fixture,  but  the  neighborhood 
round  about.  Inspector  Val's  second  pull  at  this  ancient 
engine  brought  Mr.  Warmdollar,  something  bleary  and 
stupid  to  be  sure,  but  wide  awake  for  Mr.  Warm- 
dollar.  Once  inside  the  hallway,  Inspector  Val  told  Mr. 
Warmdollar  that  he  was  a  police  agent,  showed  that 
ex-representative  the  gold  badge  glimmering  beneath 
his  coat,  and  concluded  by  informing  him  that  all  might 
not  be  well  in  the  San  Reve's  room.  Inspector  Val  did 
what  he  could  to  frighten  Mr.  Warmdollar.  It  was 
necessary  to  tame  that  householder  to  docility,  and 
what  should  achieve  this  sooner  than  a  great  fright? 
At  the  fearful  hints  of  Inspector  Val — they  were  in  his 
manner  more  than  in  his  words — the  purple  nose  of  Mr. 
Warmdollar  became  a  disastrous  gray.  Beholding  this 
encouraging  symptom,  Inspector  Val  delayed  no  longer, 


500  THE  PRESIDENT 

but  bid  him  beat  upon  the  San  Reve's  door.  This  Mr. 
Warmdollar,  nervous  and  shaken,  did  with  earnestness, 
not  once  but  twice.  Nobody  responded ;  after  each  visi 
tation  of  the  panel  the  silence  that  prevailed  was  sin 
ister. 

"  There's  no  one  in,"  faltered  Mr.  Warmdollar. 

Inspector  Val  pointed  ominously  to  the  hall-rack  on 
which  were  hanging  Storri's  hat  and  waterproof  coat. 
Mr.  Warmdollar  wrung  his  hands ;  his  imagination, 
fretted  into  fever  by  the  remoteness  of  his  latest  whisky 
toddy, — whisky  toddy  being  Mr.  Warmdollar's  favorite 
tipple, —  began  to  give  him  pictures  of  what  dread  things 
lay  hidden  in  the  silence  beyond  that  unresponsive  door. 

Inspector  Val  took  from  his  pocket  three  pieces  of 
steel,  each  about  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil,  and  began 
screwing  them  together,  end  for  end.  The  instrument 
produced  was  a  foot  in  length  and  looked  like  a  screw 
driver.  As  a  matter  of  burglarious  fact  it  was  a  jimmy 
of  fineness  and  finish.  It  had  been  the  property  of  a 
gentlemanly  "  flat-worker,"  who  made  rich  hauls  before 
he  fell  into  the  fingers  of  Inspector  Val  and  went  to  Sing 
Sing.  Inspector  Val  applied  the  absent  gentleman's 
jimmy  to  the  San  Reve's  door,  squarely  over  the  lock. 
He  gave  it  a  twitch  and  the  door  flew  inward,  the  bolt 
tearing  out  a  mouthful  of  the  casing. 

"  Stand  back !  "  said  Inspector  Val  to  Mr.  Warm- 
dollar,  who  having  already  retired  to  the  lower  step  of 


HOW   SAN   REVE   KEPT  HER   STORRI     501 

the  stair,  where  he  sat  with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands, 
hardly  required  the  warning. 

One  gas  jet  was  burning  in  the  San  Reve's  room;  be 
ing  turned  down  to  lowest  ebb,  it  was  about  as  illumina 
tive  as  a  glow-wrorm.  Inspector  Val  stretched  forth 
his  hand  and  instantly  the  room  was  flooded  of  light. 
Inspector  Val  was  neither  shocked  nor  surprised  at 
the  spectacle  before  him ;  he  was  case-hardened  by  a 
multitude  of  professional  experiences,  and  besides,  for 
full  a  fortnight  he  had  read  murder  in  the  San  Reve's 
face. 

Storri  was  lying  upon  the  lounge,  dead — stone-dead. 
A  trifling  hole  in  the  back  of  the  head  showed  where  the 
bullet  entered  in  search  of  his  life.  There  was  a  mini 
mum  of  blood ;  the  few  dried  drops  upon  a  curling  lock 
of  the  black  hair  were  all  there  was  to  tell  how  death 
came.  Storri  had  been  dead  for  hours ;  the  small  thirty- 
two  caliber  revolver — being  that  one  which  Storri  had 
seen  on  a  memorable  night  in  mid-winter — lay  on  the 
floor  where  it  fell  from  the  San  Reve's  jealous  fingers. 
It  was  a  diminutive  machine,  blue  steel  and  mother  of 
pearl,  more  like  a  plaything  than  a  pistol. 

The  San  Reve  was  on  her  knees  beside  the  dead  Storri, 
her  left  arm  beneath  his  head  and  her  face  buried  in  the 
silken  cushion  that  served  as  pillow.  There  was  a  loose 
ness  of  attitude  that  instantly  struck  Inspector  Val ;  he 
stepped  to  the  San  Reve  and  lifted  the  free  hand  which 


502  THE  PRESIDENT 

hung  by  her  side.  The  hand  was  clammy  and  cold  as 
ice.  The  San  Reve  had  died  when  Storri  died,  but  there 
was  none  of  the  rigidity  of  death,  the  body  was  re 
laxed  and  limp.  Inspector  Val  sniffed  the  air  inquisi 
tively,  and  got  just  the  faintest  odor  of  bitter  almonds. 
That,  and  the  relaxed  limbs,  enlightened  him. 

"  Prussic  acid,"  said  he. 

As  Inspector  Val  replaced  the  San  Reve's  hand  by 
her  side,  a  tiny  vial — that  with  a  prayer-book — was  dis 
lodged  from  a  fold  of  her  dress.  The  vial  showed  a  few 
drops  of  a  yellow-green  fluid  in  the  bottom.  Inspector 
Val  picked  it  up,  and  the  bitter  breath  of  the  almond  was 
more  pronounced  than  ever. 

"  Exactly !  "  murmured  Inspector  Val ;  "  prussic  acid ! 
She  died  as  though  by  lightning; — which  is  a  proper 
way  to  die  if  one's  mind  is  made  up.  Now  why  couldn't 
she  have  sent  Storri  by  the  same  route  ?  A  drop  of  this  " 
— here  he  surveyed  the  tiny  vial  with  interest,  almost 
with  approval — "  a  drop  of  this  in  the  corner  of  his  eye, 
or  on  his  lip,  would  have  beaten  the  pistol.  Ah,  yes,  the 
pistol ! "  mused  Inspector  Val,  taking  the  baby  weapon 
in  his  hand ;  "  I  suppose  the  storm  drowned  the  report. 
Well,  they're  gone !  Storri  was  asleep,  and  never  knew 
what  hit  him ;  which,  considering  his  record, — and  I'm 
something  of  a  judge, — was  an  easier  fate  than  he 
had  earned." 

Inspector  Val  made  a  close  examination  of  the  room, 


HOW  SAN  REVE  KEPT  HER   STORRI     503 

rather  from  habit  than  any  thought  more  deep,  and 
straightway  discovered  the  sleepy  whisky.  He  put  it  to 
his  nose  as  he  had  the  tiny  vial. 

"  Laudanum!  "  he^  muttered;  "  she  had  mapped  it  out 
in  every  detail.  It  was  the  sight  of  the  Zulu  Queen; 
she  saw  that  he  was  about  to  desert  her." 

Inspector  Val  heaved  a  half-sigh,  as  even  men 
most  like  chilled  steel  will  when  in  the  near  company 
of  death,  and  then,  stiffening  professionally,  he  called 
in  Mr.  Warmdollar,  still  weeping  drunken  tears  at  the 
stair's  foot. 

"  I  want,  for  your  own  sake,"  explained  Inspector  Val, 
"  to  impress  upon  you  the  propriety  of  silence.  These 
deaths  will  produce  a  sensation  in  both  the  State  De 
partment  and  the  Russian  legation.  If  word  get  abroad 
through  you,  it  might  be  resented  in  the  quarters  I've 
named.  I  shall  give  the  Russians  notice,  and  you  must 
not  let  a  word  creep  into  the  papers  until  after  they  have 
been  here.  If  news  of  this  leak  out,  it  may  cost  Mrs. 
Warmdollar  her  situation." 

Inspector  Val  was  aware  that  in  Washington  the 
hinted  loss  of  one's  position  as  the  penalty  of  loquac 
ity  has  ever  been  the  way  of  ways  to  lock  fast  the 
garrulous  tongue.  Mr.  Warmdollar  became  a  prodigal 
of  promises;  neither  sign  nor  sound  should  escape  him 
of  the  tragedy.  Mrs.  Warmdollar,  as  head  scrubwoman, 
must  not  be  put  in  jeopardy ! 


504r  THE  PRESIDENT 

Inspector  Val  visited  the  Secret  Service  Chief,  and  the 
two  were  as  brothers  of  one  mind.  To  lapse  into  the  rus 
tic  figures  of  the  farms,  on  that  subject  of  secrecy  they 
fell  together  like  a  shock  of  oats.  Why  should  the  world 
know  of  the  splendid  gopher  work  of  London  Bill?  The 
gold  had  been  saved;  to  publish  the  dangers  it  had  grazed! 
might  inspire  other  bandits.  No,  secrecy  was  the  word ;; 
that  question  Inspector  Val  and  the  Secret  Service  Chief 
answered  as  one  man.  And  so  no  word  cre^)t  forth.  When 
the  vault  must  be  restored,  it  was  said  thafc  those  tons 
upon  tons  of  gold  it  sheltered  had  broken  down  the  steel 
floor.  As  bricks  by  the  wagon  load  went  into  the  cfrara 
through  the  manhole  nearest  the  scene  of  London  BilFfc 
exploits,  a  pavement  idler  asked  their  purpose.  They 
were  to  repair  the  drain  where  the  water  had  eaten  into 
and  undermined  the  walls.  Yes,  it  was  a  secret  stub 
bornly  protected;  the  tunnel  was  stopped  up,  the  vault 
restored  to  what  had  been  a  former  strength  or  weak 
ness,  and  never  a  dozen  souls  to  hear  the  tale. 

With  the  Russians,  Inspector  Val  met  views  which  ran 
counter  to  his  own.  An  attache  of  the  Bear  accompanied 
Inspector  Val  to  the  San  Reve's  rooms  in  Grant  Place. 
The  Attache  was  for  sending  Storri's  body  to  St.  Peters 
burg.  Inspector  Val  objected. 

"Why  should  you  care?"  said  the  Attache  to  In 
spector  Val.  "  I  do  not  understand  your  interest." 

"  She  cares,"  returned  Inspector  Val,  pointing  to  the 


HOW   SAN  REVE   KEPT  HER   STORRI     505 

dead  San  Reve.  "  I  have  made  her  interest  mine.  She 
died  to  keep  this  Storri  by  her  side;  I  will  not  see  her 
cheated." 

The  Attache  looked  curiously  at  Inspector  Val;  a 
sentimental  lunatic  was  not  a  common  sight.  The 
Attache,  however,  was  no  one  to  yield.  Storri's  remains 
must  go  to  Russia. 

"  Will  you  send  home  then  the  body  of  a  thief  over 
taken  in  the  crime?  "  asked  Inspector  Val.  "  This 
Storri  schemed  to  rob  the  Treasury.  I  do  not  think  the 
representatives  of  the  Czar  should  oppose  me  in  my 
whim." 

"  Who  are  you?  "  asked  the  Attache.  Inspector  Val's 
disclosures  were  alarming;  trained  in  caution,  he  did 
not  care  to  defy  them  until  he  was  sure  of  his  foothold 
of  fact.  "  The  news  you  brought  so  affected  me  that  I 
failed  of  politeness  and  never  asked  your  name." 

"  I  am  Inspector  Val  of  the  New  York  police." 

"  And  you  declare  Count  Storri  a  thief  engaged  in 
robbing  your  Treasury?  " 

"  I  say  it  word  for  word.  More ;  he  had  it  in  train  to 
burn  a  house  and  abduct  a  girl." 

The  Attache  surveyed  Inspector  Val  with  his  sharp 
black  eyes.  Clearly,  here  was  a  man  whom  it  would  not 
be  wise — for  the  honor  of  the  Bear — to  oppose ! 

"  And  this  poor  woman  loved  Count  Storri,"  said  the 
Attache,  shifting  his  glance  to  the  dead  San  Reve.  "  She 


506  THE  PRESIDENT 

died,  you  say,  to  keep  him  by  her.    Yes,  you  are  right ; 
they  should  not  be  parted  now." 

The  San  Reve,  no  longer  jealous,  and  Storri,  no  longer 
false,  were  given  one  grave,  and  the  Attache  of  the  Czar 
and  Inspector  Val  alone  attended,  as  though  represent 
ing  rival  interests.  The  San  Reve's  prayer  of  passion 
had  been  granted ;  her  Storri  would  be  her  own  and  hers 
alone  throughout  eternity. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

HOW    RICHARD    AND    DOROTHY    SAILED    AWAY 


Y~  ""^HERE  came  but  the  one  name  before  the  con 
vention,  and  Governor  Obstinate  was  nomi 
nated  for  the  Presidency  by  acclamation. 
Senator  Hanway  wired  his  warm  congratulations,  and 
to  such  earnest  length  did  they  extend  themselves  that  it 
reduced  the  book  of  franks  conferred  upon  Senator  Han- 
way  by  the  telegraph  company  by  five  stamps.  Gov 
ernor  Obstinate  thanked  Senator  Hanway  through  the 
eye-glassed  Mazarin,who  seized  upon  the  occasion  to  say 
that  Governor  Obstinate  was  more  than  ever  resolved  in 
event  of  his  election — which  was  among  things  sure — to 
avail  himself  of  Senator  Hanway's  known  abilities 
touching  public  finance  in  the  role  of  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury. 

Senator  Hanway  and  Mr.  Harley,  the  Georgian  Bay- 
Ontario  Canal  still  rankling  in  the  popular  regard,  did 
not  attend  the  convention.  This  permitted  those  gen 
tlemen  to  be  present  at  the  nuptials  of  Dorothy  and 
Richard,  a  negative  advantage  which  otherwise  might 
have  been  denied. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  basing  it  on  grounds  of  duty, 

507 


508  THE  PRESIDENT 

assumed  formal  charge  of  the  marriage  arrangements 
in  the  later  hours.  She  asked  Richard  to  name  those 
among  his  friends  whom  he  desired  as  guests  at  the  wed 
ding.  Richard  gave  her  Mr.  Bayard,  Mr.  Sands,  and 
Inspector  Val.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  pursed  her  lips. 
Mr.  Bayard?  yes ;  but  why  ask  Mr.  Sands,  printer,  and 
Inspector  Val  of  the  police  ? 

"  They  are  my  friends,"  said  Richard. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  shook  her  head  in  proud  dejec 
tion  as  she  meditated  on  the  strangeness  of  things.  Her 
daughter's  wedding;  and  a  detective  and  a  journeyman 
printer  among  the  honored  guests !  The  homely  dis 
grace  of  it  quite  bowed  the  heart  of  Mrs.  Hanway-Har 
ley.  She  was  taken  doubly  aback  when  she  learned  that 
Mr.  Gwynn  was  on  his  way  to  England,  and  therefore 
not  to  attend. 

"  It  would  have  pleased  me,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  mournfully,  "  had  Mr.  Gwynn  been  present. 
His  absence  is  peculiarly  a  blow." 

"  I'm  sure,"  said  Richard,  putting  on  a  look  of  inno 
cent  slyness,  like  a  lamb  engaged  in  intrigue,  "  had  I 
known  that  you  might  feel  Mr.  Gwynn's  going  away,  I 
would  have  kept  him  with  us." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  elevated  her  polite  brows. 
Richard  would  have  kept  Mr.  Gwynn  with  them !  What 
manner  of  mystery  was  this  ? 

Richard's  present  to  Dorothy  was  a  superb,  nay  a 


RICHARD  AND  DOROTHY  SAIL  AWAY     509 

matchless  set  of  rubies,  the  like  of  which  did  not  dwell 
in  the  caskets  of  Queen  or  Empress.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
.  Harley,  herself  no  apprentice  in  the  art  of  gems,  could 
not  estimate  their  value.  They  lay  in  her  hands  like  red 
tfire — jewels  above  price!  Mrs.  Hanwa3^-Harley  could 
only  gaze  and  gaze,  while  Richard's  look  of  slyness 
gained  in  lamblike  intensity. 

Mr.  Bayard  came  down  from  New  York  the  day  be 
fore;  he  must  have  a  business  talk  with  Richard.  It 
would  be  impossible,  in  releasing  Mr.  Harley  and  Sena 
tor  Hanway  from  their  obligations  as  members  of  the 
osprey  pool,  to  avoid  an  explanation.  In  running  over 
the  affair  in  his  mind,  Mr.  Bayard  was  convinced  that 
the  reprieved  pair  must  be  told  the  truth  of  their  cap 
ture  and  release. 

Richard,  whose  powers  of  original  judgment  had  di 
minished  in  exact  proportion  as  he  neared  the  wedding 
day,  and  who  now,  with  the  ceremony  only  hours  away, 
owned  no  judgment  at  all,  gave  Mr.  Bayard  leave  to 
do  as  he  would.  He  was  to  tell  Mr.  Harley  and  Senator 
Hanway,  Mr.  Sands  and  Inspector  Val,  as  much  or  as 
little  as  he  chose.  Richard  drew  relief  from  the  reflec 
tion  that,  whatever  the  disclosures,  he,  Richard,  at  the 
time  they  were  made  would  be  safe  on  the  wide  Atlantic. 

The  wedding  offered    a  rich    study    in    expression. 

Richard  was  pale  but  firm,  and  if  his  knees  shook  the 

.aspen  disgrace  of  it  didn't  show  in  his  face.      Dorothy 


510  THE  PRESIDENT 

was  radiantly  happy — beautiful  and  unabashed. 
Somehow,  a  wedding  never  fails  to  bring  out  the 
strength  of  your  true  woman.  Bess  was  splendidly  re 
sponsible;  she  showed  plainly  that  she  considered  the 
wedding  the  work  of  her  hands,  and  was  bound  to  see 
justice  done  it.  Her  supporting  damsels,  taking  their 
cue  from  certain  bridesmaids  who  had  adorned  a  recent 
wedding  of  mark,  wept  bitterly.  Mr.  Bayard  was  in 
terested  in  a  courteous  way ;  Mr.  Harley  was  patroniz 
ing,  Senator  Hanway  benign.  Inspector  Val,  ineffable 
as  to  garb,  was  distinguished  by  that  sleepy,  well-bred 
stare  which  was  his  common  expression  when  off  duty. 
Only  once  did  he  rouse,  and  that  was  when  Mrs.  Han- 
way-Harley,  deluded  by  his  elegant  reserve,  over  which 
was  thrown  just  an  aroma  of  the  military,  addressed  him 
as  Captain  Burleigh  of  the  English  legation.  Mr. 
Sands  of  all  who  were  there  was  probably  the  one  most 
coolly  composed;  being  in  profound  contrast  to  Mr. 
Fopling,  whose  eye  was  glassy  and  whose  cheek  was 
ashes. 

"  Stawms,"  whispered  Mr.  Fopling,  tremulous  with 
agitation,  "  if  I'm  as  weak  as  this  at  your  wedding,  what 
do  3'ou  week  on  I'll  be  at  my  own  ?  'Pon  my  word,  I  think 
I'll  have  to  be  bwought  to  church  in  an  invalid's  chair; 
I  do,  weally !  " 

"  Bless  you,  my  boy,  bless  you ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Harley,  grasping  Richard's  hand.  Mr.  Harley  had  ab- 


RICHARD  AND  DOROTHY  SAIL  AWAY     511 

sorbed  the  impression,  probably  from  the  theaters,  that 
this  was  the  phrase  for  him.  "  And  you,  my  child ;  God 
bless  you !  Be  happy !  "  continued  Mr.  Harley,  kissing 
Dorothy  and  exuding  a  burgundian  tear. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  Richard,  as  Senator  Hanway  bid 
him  and  Dorothy  an  affectionate  farewell,  "  I  am  sorry 
the  event  of  the  convention  disappointed  us." 

"  It  is  as  one  who  wishes  his  party  and  his  country 
well  would  have  it,"  returned  Senator  Hanway,  with 
Roman  elevation.  "  Governor  Obstinate  is  a  patriot,  and 
an  able  man.  He  will  call  to  his  Cabinet  safe  men — true 
advisers.  The  nation  could  not  be  in  purer  hands." 

Bess  made  Dorothy  promise  to  have  Richard  back  for 
her  own  wedding  in  October ;  Mr.  Fopling  gave  Richard 
a  pleading  glance  as  though  he  himself  would  require 
support  on  that  occasion. 

"  Stawms,  don't  fail  me,"  said  Mr.  Fopling.  "  Weally, 
I  shall  need  all  the  couwage  my  fwiends  can  give  me. 
And  you  know,  Stawms,  I  stood  by  you." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  supposed  the  happy  ones  were 
to  take  the  B.  &  O.  for  New  York;  Richard  explained 
that  they  would  have  a  boat. 

"  In  fact,"  said  Richard,  "  the  captain  has  just  sent 
me  word  that  the  yacht  is  anchored  off  the  Navy  Yard, 
awaiting  our  going  aboard." 

"  Yacht?  "  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley.  "  Oh,  I  see; 
Mr.  Gwynn's." 


512  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  No,  not  Mr.  Gwynn's.  Ours." — And  Richard 
looked  more  lamblike  than  ever. 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  became  sorely  puzzled.  The 
truth  was  slowly  soaking  into  her  not  over-porous  com 
prehension. 

As  the  launch,  with  the  wedding  party,  rounded  the 
yacht's  stern  to  reach  her  gangway  on  the  off-shore  side, 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  read  in  letters  of  raised  gilt: 
Dorothy  Storms.  She  called  Dorothy's  attention  to  the 
phenomenon  in  a  misty  way.  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley, 
once  aboard,  went  over  the  Dorothy  Storms,  forward 
and  aft,  speaking  no  word.  The  yacht,  Clyde-built,  was. 
a  swift  ocean-going  vessel  of  twelve  hundred  tons.  Her 
fittings  were  the  fittings  of  a  palace.  Mrs.  Hanway- 
Harley  cornered  Richard  on  the  after-deck. 

"  Richard,"  said  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley,  "  what  took 
Mr.  Gwynn  abroad?  " 

"  Why,"  responded  Richard,  with  a  cheerful  manner 
of  innocence,  "  you  see  there's  a  deal  for  Mr.  Gwynn 
to  do.  There's  the  country  house  in  Berks,  and  the 
house  in  London;  then  there's  the  Paris  house  and  the 
villa  at  Nice,  and  lastly  the  place  in  the  mountains  back 
of  Naples ; — Mr.  Gwynn  will  have  to  put  them  in  order. 
The  one  near  Naples — a  kind  of  old  castle,  it  is — has 
been  in  bad  hands ;  there  will  be  plenty  of  work  in  that 
quarter  for  Mr.  Gwynn,  I  fancy.  You  know,  mother," 
— and  Richard  donned  an  air  of  filial  confidence,—*1' 


RICHARD  AND  DOROTHY  SAIL  AWAY     513 

"  since  this  is  Dorothy's  first  look  at  them,  I'm  more  than 
commonly  anxious  she  should  be  given  a  happy " 

Where  the  wretched  Richard  would  have  maundered 
to  will  never  be  known,  for  he  was  broken  in  upon  by 
Mrs.  Hanway-Harley. 

"  Richard,  who  is  Mr.  Gwynn?  "  This  with  a  severe 
if  agitated  gravity.  "  Who  is  Mr.  Gwynn  ?  " 

"Who  is  Mr.  Gwynn?"  repeated  Richard,  blandly. 
"  Well,  really,  I  suppose  he  might  be  called  my  major- 
domo  ;  or  perhaps  butler  would  describe  him." 

"  You  told  me  that  Mr.  Gwynn  had  had  about  him 
the  best  society  of  England." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley's  manner  bordered  upon  the 
tragic,  for  it  bore  upon  her  that  she  had  given  a  dinner 
of  honor  to  Mr.  Gwynn. 

"  Why,  my  dear  mother,  and  so  he  has  had.  I  can't 
remember  all  their  noble  names,  but  one  time  and  another 
Mr.  Gwynn  has  been  butler  for  the  Duke  of  This  and 
the  Earl  of  That — really  Mr.  Gwynn's  recommenda 
tions  read  like  a  leaf  from  '  Burke's  Peerage.'  I  myself 
had  him  from  the  Baron  Sudley." 

Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  was  for  the  moment  dumb. 
Dorothy  and  Bess  appeared,  having  completed  a  ran 
sack  of  staterooms  and  cabins.  The  sight  of  her  daugh 
ter  restored  to  Mrs.  Hanway-Harley  the  power  of 
speech. 

"  Dorothy,"    she    cried,    raising    her    hands    limply, 


614  THE  PRESIDENT 

"  Dorothy,  I  believe  our  Richard's  rich ! "     And  Mrs. 
Hanway-Harley  wept. 

"  I  shall  always  love  him,  whatever  he  is !  "  exclaimed 
Dorothy,  all  tenderness  and  fresh  alarm. 

Dorothy  did  not  understand. 

It  was  ten  o'clock ;  the  Potomac  lay  between  its  soft 
banks  like  a  river  of  silver.  There  was  the  throb  of  the 
engines,  and  the  talk  of  the  water  against  her  bows,  as 
the  Dorothy  Storms  with  her  two  passengers,  they  and 
their  love,  swept  onward  through  the  moonlight. 
Dorothy,  her  head  on  Richard's  shoulder,  and  thinking 
on  her  mother  and  Bess  and  all  she  had  left  behind, 
watched  the  V-shaped  wake  as  it  spread  away  in  ripples 
to  either  bank.  Now  and  then  a  shore-light  slipped  by, 
to  snuff  out  astern  as  distance  or  a  bend  in  the  river  ex 
tinguished  it.  Dorothy  crept  more  and  more  into  the 
Pict  arms. 

"  Dear,  when  did  you  name  the  Dorothy  Storms?  " 

"  The  day  after  you  precipitated  yourself  into  my 
arms — and  my  heart." 

"  I  think  you  were  shamefully  confident,"  whispered 
Dorothy,  with  a  delicious  sigh. 

Richard  the  brazen  replied  to  the  attack  as  became  a 
lover  and  gentleman. 

And  so  they  sailed  away. 

THE    END 


THE   SUCCESS    OF   THE    YEAR 

CAP'N  ERI 

By"   Joseph    C.    Lincoln 

"Everybody's  friend." — Neiv  York  Sun. 

"  All  the  freshness  of  realism  wedded  to  humor." 
Neiv    York  Mail. 

"  Cap'n  Eri  is  queer,  quaint  and  delightful.  Its 
title  figure  is  too  much  a  character  by  himself  to 
be  referred  to  for  comparison  even  as  a  nautical 
David  Harum." — New  York  World. 

ft  A  splendid  story.  Laughter,  incident  and 
pathos  are  blended.  Expectations  are  more  than 
realized.  Will  give  the  author  a  firm  place  in 
the  world  of  contemporary  fiction." 

— Neivark  Advertiser. 

"What  a  whiff  of  manhood  and  strength  blows 
about  one  as  one  reads.  The  reader  is  at  the 
author's  mercy,  laughs  with  him  and  feels  with 
him.  The  reading  of  these  things  is  good  for  the 
soul.  American  authors  who  write  such  novels 
as  Cap'n  Eri  need  fear  no  rebuff  in  England.'' 

— London  Academy. 

Illustrated  in  color  by  Charlotte  Weber 

f2mo,  cloth.    $1.50 

A.   S.  BARNES   C&   CO. 


STORY  tf  A  STORMY  COURSE 


To'\Windward 

By*  Henry  C.  Rowland 

(SECOND  EDITION) 


"Written  with  charm." 

— N.  T.  Evening  Post. 

tf  Crisp  and  strong,  full  of  breeziness 
and  virile  humanity." 

— Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"A  capital  story  told  with  a  spirit 
and  go  that  are  irresistible.  A  strong 
and  dramatic  novel.  Shows  literary 
genius."  — Newark  Advertiser. 

With  frontispiece  in  color  by  Charlotte  Weber 

J2mo,  cloth.    $(.50 


A.   S.   BARNES    <&    CO. 


THE 


Pagan's  Progress 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS 

Author  of  "  Aladdin  O'Brien,"  Etc. 
ILLUSTRATED  BY  JOHN  RAE 

Mr.  Morris's  originality  may  be 
counted  upon  for  the  unexpected. 
His  romance  is  a  story  of  elemen 
tal  instincts  in  a  strangely  inter 
esting  environment.  His  story  is 
original  in  that  primitive  man 
really  lives  and  loves  in  his  pages. 
There  are  scenes  thrilling  with 
adventure,  warfare,  jealousy  and 
fierce  revenge,  and  there  are 
touches  of  delightful  humor.  How 
the  Pagan  fought  and  loved  is 
shown  in  the  singularly  graphic 
pages  of  this  fresh  and  stirring 
romance  of  the  days  when  the 
world  was  young.  The  novelty 
of  the  illustrations  and  type  is  in 
keeping  with  the  originality  of 
this  dramatic  tale  of  the  loves  of 
primitive  man. 

I2mo,doth.    Illustrated.    $1.00 

A.  S.  BARNES  C&  CO. 


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